


Ignis Draco

by Cucuxumusu



Category: One Piece
Genre: Anal Sex, Angry Sex, Angst with a Happy Ending, Asshole Church, Attemp at mating ritual, Attempt at Humor, Blow Jobs, Dragon AU, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff, Historical Fantasy, Historical References, Kid's even smarter, Law Attempt at Dragon Murder, Law's a smartass, Law's a virgin, M/M, Mindbreak, Monster Hunters, Period-Typical Homophobia, Psychological Torture, So much smut, True Mates, Vatican, alternative universe, love fights, treasures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-16
Updated: 2016-09-22
Packaged: 2018-04-26 15:35:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 30
Words: 153,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5010223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cucuxumusu/pseuds/Cucuxumusu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Trafalgar Law's duty has always been to defend the world from the magical creatures that corrupt it. He has been trained since his childhood for this unique and difficult task, the knows the tricks to survive, he knows their weak spots, and what spells to use against the monsters. However, in the new mission the Vatican has entrusted to him, Law's found more difficulties than usual when he'd have to face a creature came out of legends.</p><p>Will the brown haired boy complete his mission successfully? Will he get out alive all this time, or will he betray everything he believes in to spend eternity with his enemy?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Raw

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this is my first long fic in this page and all I have to say it's "I'm sorry". I'm sorry for not writing very well in english, I'm sorry for this strange universe and for what you are going o read. I don't know were this came from, I don't know why I write it and I don't if you will like it, but in any case, I hope you like the universe and have fun n_n
> 
> (One Piece characters belong to Eiichiro Oda, and also any resemblance between characters, organizations and places of the story, with reality, it's just a mere coincidence)

 

It was late in the dark night, when the dark figure tightened his grip on the sheathed sword with numb fingers. Leather boots squeaked against the gravel with an almost imperceptible sound as he shifted slightly in place, though, to his trained ears, the insignificant clatter sounded like a fucking rock avalanche roaring around him. Thankfully, the black clothes he was wearing camouflaged him among the background of the gray and black stones, so even, if someone were to hear the tiny sounds of his footfalls, they would only see shadows and inky blackness in the darkness of his hiding spot.

With eyes the color of old silver, the man dressed in black glanced down from his rocky perch and observed the small village from afar. Hidden in a narrow valley that was cradled between two dark and high mountains decorated with caves and ancient pines of thick branches, the village couldn't have contained more than thirty houses. The wood and stone structures were old but well kept, resistant to the harsh winters of that country and the wet and cloudy summers. There were also an old ruined castle apart from the village where a repulsive viceroy lived and a tall church that had seen better times, but in general it looked like a peaceful place.

That was the village -located right in the middle of absolutely nowhere in Romania- he had been sent to inspect as part of his mission. It was a village that barely knew of its existence, but which was now totally dependent on him. And still, it was from that remote town, where the screams that filled the night were escaping, breaking the sky flooded with clouds with a sinister song. They came from _his_ village, the one surrounded in an opaque fog that left nothing to see. The place that he had supposedly been sent to protect.

But the man didn't move. It wasn't yet the time. No, not until he'd seen _it_ with his own eyes. He'd been expressly forbidden to move even if something were to happen to the town or its people, because Trafalgar Law only hunted one type of prey. They had only trained him explicitly for hunting them, the rest of the world and its problems weren't any of his concern. It may seem cruel, but it wasn't his duty to try and change their tragic destiny. No matter what happened, he shouldn't meddle in their affairs or attempt to alter what had already been written.

Unless, of course, it was related to one of _them._

Law shifted his weight from one foot to the other tiredly, and leaned his back against the rocky surface of the huge cliff at his back. The young man crossed his arms, the edge of his sheath pressing softly against his thigh, and waited impatiently for the signal that would indicate the beginning of his fun. He didn't give a fuck about the desperate cries that could still be heard echoing in the valley, people had never held much worth to him. In his eyes, the only things that mattered were the thrill of a new hunt and the feeling of adrenaline pumping through his veins as he used his blade to end the lives of those abominations. Or at least that was what _they_ had taught him that mattered. He didn't really know. It had been a long time since he'd lost the capacity to ponder his own views on the matter and decide if he also agreed.

The dense clouds above were still covering the moon, depriving the world of its light and reducing the visibility drastically. Law sighed with irritation and boredom.

And it was just, in that moment, as the air escaped his lungs, that it happened.

In the coldest time of the night. When he had resigned himself to giving up the hunt and return home without his prey and wasted time. When he had even started to think that the story had been a mistake and that he had gotten suckered in by a local legend trussed up by paranoid villagers. He heard the loud roar rise up from the town.

The noise reverberated through the trees and shook the ground at his feet loud and powerful. Like a devil that had been released from hell and finally set free to wreak havoc upon the world. The forest and the small cliff where he was hiding fell into a frightened silence as the echo of the awful roar made the stones near him vibrate.

The man however, instead being terrified by the warning as the rest of the world, only smirked sinisterly with his white teeth glowing brightly in the dark shadows.

His senses, as sharp as ever, immediately recognized the signs and tried to classify his new prey into one of the categories that had been established for its class: the smell of sulfur dense in the air, a reddish glow that had broken through the darkness, a strong wind kicking up around him and the tremor of the roar still rumbling ominously at his feet...

 _'Oh god.'_ the man thought excitedly as he realized what he could be hunting.

At last. A decent fight. He would finally get some excitement among those little preys which he had had to face for years and that were so weak that they simply bored him and wasted his valuable time. Indeed, this could be the largest prey he'd ever faced.

Stepping out of the shadows, Law moved from behind the pile of dark rocks where he'd been stealthily watching the whole valley, and raced forward as he covered the distance between his hiding place and the village quickly. Dodging branches and maneuvering elegantly around boulders like a lethal feline. Advancing deadly in the middle of the surrounding silence.

As he approached the village, everything became more clear and bright. The wood houses were lit by a blazing fire that was burning swiftly throughout the little village, quickly devouring everything in its path. Law was sure that, come morning, half of the structures would be reduced to nothing but ash, the wooden houses far too weak against the hot flames and the people to agitated to try suffocate them.

A terrified crowd was running back and forth, trying to save their families and escape the slaughter, while black smoke rose into the sky to mix with the crisp night air. Law, however, took the opposite route, moving through the crowd and instead heading directly to the town center. His path led him between wooden houses and around the bloody and broken corpses laying on every corner, but finally the young man reached his destination and his eyes felt on the monster crating all of this carnage.

_His prey._

Law stood paralyzed for a moment taking all of it. Red was all he could see at first glance. An intense and pure red. Like freshly spilled blood, or the roses that women so dearly loved to receive. Red coating the creature's long and powerful body like the armor covering his knight. Bloody red in a silent reminder of what the owner could do to him if he wasn't careful enough.

Law then dropped his gaze from the beast's ruby body to its sharp claws digging into the ground and cutting long, deep lines into the floor. His foot were huge and were leaving large holes in the ground and shacking the very earth under Law's feet with every step the enormous monster took. It was a mesmerizing sight. Law however keep studding his opponent and quickly turned his sight to the enormous wings the monster had, the span of which could easily overshadow an entire house and raise hurricanes when they were flapping.

This was definitely going to be difficult, the exorcist thought.

The beast however, ignoring the newcomer, roared again to the soldiers surrounding him, leaving everyone deaf and dizzy. Steeling himself, Law unsheathed his sword in his hand and focused on the beast out of legends. The dragon was huge, its head higher than the bell tower of the damn church and his body barely fitting the square of the village. Law had definitely not been expecting something so big. The elegant neck with a column of sharp spikes trailing down its spine, was so wide that even four men working together couldn't wrap their arms around it. And it also has an incredible power. His legs muscles spoke of the enormous power that the creature had, a force it had harnessed to wipe out everything around him, and even the pectorals that hide the light of the blazing fire it breathed, seemed ominous and huge for a creature of his size.

Still, despite the fearsome image of the monster in front of him, Law did not hesitate at all.

This was a creature from another world. It was something that should never have existed in this realm and, therefore, it was his duty as an exorcist to kill and remove it from this plane of existence. He had been trained to kill them, to return them to the hell from which they'd escaped. So, although nobody in this village expected anything from a little shit like him or although _nothing_ in this situation was in his favor, Law threw himself onto the battlefield. Because that's what he should do, what he was trained to do.

Law readied his sword and watched his opponent, quickly scanning the dragon's body for any weakness. The beast's back and flank were completely covered in thick scarlet scales in an impenetrable armor, however, under the legs and belly the heavy plates seemed much weaker. Almost fragile. Weakness discovered, the question was now how to get under the dragon to take advantage of the debility while dodging claws, teeth, and the very flames of hell. Cautiously, Law began to approach his prey with fast and steady steps.

And then, the dragon saw him.

Eyes the color of burnished gold, the metal that its kind so dearly treasured, the monster watched him curiously. Law knew how his lanky appearance would be viewed by the dragon. He was completely unlike the soldiers of the village, men who tried to hurt the monster with those little sticks they laughingly called 'spears' and their ridiculously breakable swords. They got this huge muscles garnered from daily training with a heavy armor, when Law, standing beside them, must look like a skinny and uncoordinated little boy.

But his thin musculature and lean body was not from lack of training. No, it was just that he prioritized other things over brute force, seeing as how the monsters he faced always beat him when it came to physical power. He couldn't kill a werewolf with just force no matter how much he trained. It was impossible. So he'd decided long ago to focus on other skills like agility, speed or flexibility that will be more useful for him in a battle. Up until this point, his impressive reflexes alone had managed to save his life on more than one occasion.

Still, he couldn't help but feel slightly humiliated by the way the ancient creature was looking at him, with its eyes filled with mockery and incredulity. Even the soldiers of the city sent him terrified and worried looks when they saw him approaching the dragon.

Law grit his teeth furiously. Well fuck them. Without a shred of doubt, the exorcist turned to the beast, grabbed his sword in a firm grip, and moved with mesmerizing speed toward his prey with a killing intent. The soldiers shouted at him to stop, to not commit suicide. The creature let out another growl that sounded like an incredulous laugh before lifting one foot the size of a wagon and waving it over Law's head, ready to crush him into a pathetic pile of bones and sinew.

Law snorted. As if that was enough to kill him.

Raising Kikoku, his beloved sword, the exorcist brought it down slicing cleanly through the dragon's foot in one smooth stroke. The scales of the beast were cut like butter under his cursed blade, revealing the thin, smooth skin beneath.

Like he had expected those scales were weaker than the ones on the dragon's back.

Then, without stopping to even take a breath, Law turned and continued sprinting until he was finally situated underneath the dragon's body. Just under his weak spot. As he had planned.

Law smirked satisfied and then paused for a brief second to listened with delight to the dragon shouting in pain as his boiling blood felt from the recently wound to the ground below. The red liquid seeping from the injury and hissing as it made contact with the stone street scorching the solid rock.

"That's for being so naïve" Law muttered. He heard then the satisfied cheers of the soldiers fill the air, their attitudes quickly changing towards the newcomer as someone had finally managed to hurt the beast. Law ignored them.

Raising his sword again, the gray eyed man stabbed the weapon near the clavicle of the beast and, starting to run, he tore open another wound from the shoulder of the monster to its back leg. From one side of the dragon's chest to the opposite hip, Law pierced its entire belly in one huge injury, that would be a miracle to survive.

The beast immediately reared up on its hind legs as another huge roar of pain tore through the air. With his mission accomplished Law retreated, out from under the beast before the initial shock and pain receded, and the monster could attempt to crush him under its massive weight in revenge. But, to his surprise, the dragon only growled and, looking at him with death in its eyes, it opened its jaws.

"Shit." the dark haired man cursed, quikly turning his body to face the dragon head-on. If you can't run away, the best you can do is fight. Because honestly, there was no way he could escape from what was going to happen next.

Law threw his beloved sword to the ground for a moment, kneeled, raised his hands in the air, and closed his eyes in absolute concentration.

Hell suddenly broke loose around fire spilled across the floor beside him as the dragon released an angry breath of flames. The stones under his boots melted thanks to the awful heat, and everything around him sank into a deep red glow.

But it didn't hurt Law in the least.

With his arms raised he resisted hell with a little shield that he'd just begun to create with a quick spell.

However, upon realizing the enormous power that the creature had, Law swallowed anxiously. It had a power so large and dense that he knew he couldn't hold out against it for very long.

Shit, this was the first time that something like this had happened. He had never lost his magic so quickly or so foolishly. Normally, he was the one who surpassed his opponents by far, but against the huge dragon, Law felt his confidence beginning to wane. For the first time in his life, the exorcist experienced the haunting fear that came with the realization that, this time, he might fail and get killed.

Panting, he held the last flames of his enemy at bay with his own power slipping through his fingers, but at last, taking a calming breath, Law managed to control his mind and harden his protection. The tips of his unruly black hair began to smoke, blisters appeared on his hands and his breathing grew heavy as he struggled to aspire, choking from the sulfur and heat surrounding him.

 _'Please, it has to end soon, it has to…'_ he pleaded, hands shaking with his efforts.

And then, just as soon as it had begun, the fire stopped.

Panting, Law lowered his arms and dropped to all fours on the melted stone, trying to regain his strength so he could continue the fight. But it was no use, he couldn't move. His body wasn't responding to his commands, his muscles were completely numb after that last burst of power.

Law then waited, in that last moment of weakness when the world spun before his eyes, a blow from the dragon or a second breath of hot flames that would melt him as it had melted the stones in the ground. Even a quick swipe from the beast's needle-sharp claws would end him in his current state, and there was nothing Law could do to defend himself.

This was the first time in his life that he had been at the mercy of an opponent, unable to stand up in any way and fight back. This was the first time in his life that he was so helpless and exposed.

Law hated it. Absolutely hated it. Hated feeling so weak and vulnerable. He hadn't overcome everything he'd faced so far in his life for it to end like this.

Raising his clouded gaze, Law watched the creature that was going to kill him. If he was meant to die here, then at the very least he would go out with some dignity. He would look the dragon in the eye as it killed him. He would see the dragon squirm in pain at the wound he'd inflicted upon it and know that at least he had achieved something with his death.

But, when Law looked up, there was no dragon before him.

Still dizzy from draining his strength, the dark haired looked around for the creature until he felt a warm breath of air caress the back of his neck. Raising his head, the human stared at the huge dragon flying above him like a shadow of the apocalypse. Focusing on the beast then, Law realized that the dragon also looked tired with that gaping wound in its chest still bleeding a red and burning liquid. Clearly the injury prevented the dragon from flying with its normal ease and elegance, the beast's movements now tense and abrupt.

A weakness, the dark haired boy realized again, continuing to analyze the situation although he couldn't even stand up. Law spared a glance at the creature, willing to continue the fight if necessary and reached for his sword gripping the hilt with aching and trembling fingers. Defiant until the bitter end. The dragon roared angrily at him in response, opening its mouth to flash sharp teeth the size of Law's forearms.

 _"This is not over._ " Whispered a voice inside the human's head with a serious, dark tone that made the hairs on the back of Law's neck rose in alarm. " _Next time you won't be so lucky, mortal."_

Law smiled wryly. After finally managing, to stand up, he tilted his head back and turned to face the dragon with the sword in his hands. " _You, too."_ Law responded to the beast in his mind. " _Next time you'll die, monster."_

The dragon roared in his head so loud that Law thought he might faint from it. Then the creature fly higher into the air and disappeared into the clouds of smoke rising from the burning village.

 


	2. Blackmail

 

The ancient beast cut quickly through the air, flying between silver clouds and covering the world at his feet in even darker shadows. He flapped his huge wings in the sky riding the cold currents and rising with amazing ease despite his huge size. The sun shining between the clouds, caressed his scales and, with the warm rays, they magically shined with a reddish tone. The beast then accelerated his career, wanting to reach his lair before the sun rose high above the clouds. There there were still several hours of darkness until the light of a new day touched the ground, but the sooner he reached the refuge, the better.

The dragon had never been so angry in his entire life, he wanted to destroy everything, he wanted to smash those pathetic ants called humans who have dared to challenge him. But that would be too easy for him and it wouldn't give him too much satisfaction given the situation. The magic creature needed them to suffer, to cry and scream in desperation after losing all hope.

His stomach send him an electric shock of pain from the huge wound on his torso, and the beast roared with rage as he remembered the cause of it. Oh yes, the dragons was going to have his big revenge. The man with gray eyes and the scent of old metal was going to pay. What he was going to do to that man couldn't be compared to anything humanity had ever seen. He was going to break the human in every way possible. The man would suffer every day for the rest of his short life, and in the end he would beg for death until he regretted ever being born. It would be a perfect reminder for the world, of what could happen if someone stood against him.

The dragon smiled, thinking about his next victim and his evil plans. The beast's mind reveled in the chaos that he was about to create and the power he had to destroy everything. Still, as much as the creature tried to ignore it, there was a much more primitive and instinctive part of his mind that was slightly terrified and disturbed about what had just happened. That part was worried about the possible consequences of a new confrontation with the man of grey eyes, and was still in shock from the wound that the human had inflicted upon him. The dragon was beginning to consider the other as a decent opponent rather than a small insect that could be easily crushed.

So the beast groaned annoyed at his thoughts, he wanted revenge, not to have a strange feeling of fascination and rivalry with the human. Humans were worthless, they never played fair and only took advantage of its strength. Working with them never amounted to anything good. So the dragon quieted that part of his mind that kept insisting that, maybe, this time would be different, and that the man with gray eyes could be someone decent. Because it wasn't true. The human had tried to kill him for God's sake.

Nothing ever changed; solitude and terror were the best friends for someone like him.

While black thoughts permeated his mind, the dragon finally recognized the opening to his lair between two dark rocks. Folding his wings, the creature dropped sharply and maneuvered his way into the cave. He landed with a heavy thud inside the narrow entryway, shaking the place with his enormous weight. And then, and only then, did the beast let his dragon form disappear to make way for his human appearance.

The dragon hated humans with the same intensity that they hated him. Still, the form they had was convenient for some tasks and he, like a dragon, was too huge for others. Having a human appearance had helped him mingle with their society countless times, allowing him to get the information necessary to save his life and had helped him steal the things humans created.

Mankind was something annoying yet enjoyable at the same time. They created the gold and jewels that dragons so much appreciated and struggled to collect. No other race could create such beauty and perfection, but they also repudiated all that they couldn't control or understand. The dragon had been called monster, murderer, and the humans had even tried to kill him without hesitation, but no other race committed such massacres or genocides as the human race . They were the true monsters.

Growling low in his chest, the man entered the huge cave that was his lair, walking down dark passageways until he found a small room. His lair was composed of a series of caverns that connected to each other through long tunnels that made an incomprehensible maze. It was an enormous palace carved in the dark hard rock of the mountain with thousands of different rooms. Some of them were barely used by the dragon, some of them were even forgotten as they traveled down into the bowels of the world and into dark abysms the dragon created when he moved in. It was his hideout, his home. The principal rooms were all decorated and were full of extravagant furniture from different places, each room different from the next one, but there were so many of them, that half the treasures the place hided were now covered in a thick layer of dust.

But the dragon didn't care about the state of his place. It wasn't as if he wanted to show it to anyone and make an impression out of it. The people that arrived at his lair didn't deserved that kind of treatment. Only a few beings had ever found this place, and none had ever left it.

The dragon frowned as he thought about it, he had never understand the idiots who came here to hunt him. Did they really believe they could defeat him? Even as a human he was still bigger and stronger than ordinary people. Most of the time he could cause panic through a population with just his crimson hair and his strange and dangerous golden eyes. Although it wasn't as if he cared much either way. It was better for him if they feared the beast and left him in peace.

The dragon reached the room he was looking for and quickly opened the door with more force it was necessary, making the hinges creak and the wood scream with the added pressure.

But he ignored the sound and just walked in angrily.

He hadn't used this room in years. The place, one of the smallest rooms of his domain, was full of cabinets with medicines, bandages and other products used to heal him in both of his forms. The room was painted in a calm green tone and a few anatomic draws were hanging from the walls next to the small window that let him see the rainy valley. There were drying plants dangling from the ceiling used for medicine, and the shelves were full of books about remedies from different countries. It wasn't a very common for him to be injured and to have to use this room, but in any case, no mattered how many years passed by, his mind remembered the placement of each object and each recipe with deadly precision.

Putting pressure on his chest wound with his good hand, the beast moved through the room dodging the desk and the few leather chairs until he stood in front of one of the cabinets decorated with filigree pearl. Opening one of the drawers, he dug through its contents until he located a needle and thread. Then, he moved again until he finally sat in one of the chairs covered in the expensive wolf furs and next to the window. There, he would have more light and he wouldn't be tempted to break some of the furniture that filled the room in a fit of rage.

Taking a resigned breath and with the skill of someone who has done the same thing hundreds of times, he began to stitch his bloody wound closed. His face revealing neither suffering nor pain, just plain anger and killing intents.

Normally this wasn't necessary. Normally his wounds healed faster than those of a god. But, as always, there were exceptions. He didn't know what the dark man had used, but the injury wouldn't heal no matter how hard he called to the power within him and focused it around the bleeding area. Maybe the human's sword had been one of those cursed metals. He'd been wounded several times with such weapons throughout his ancient life and, as a result, he'd been forced to learn how to treat wounds himself. But he'd never received a wound as large as this. No one had ever been able to hurt him so severely, and it took him longer than he'd thought to stitch it shut.

The wound was deep, stretching across his entire chest from shoulder to hip and it bled profusely, staining his pale skin with a crimson tone. He needed more than twenty stitches to close it and when he finished he was tired, tense, and wanted to break something.

Groaning low in his chest, he rose from his spot by the window and headed out the door and down the labyrinthine corridors, to another cave that had been partially flooded by an underground river.

It was a large place, with several holes in the ceiling that let the rays of the moon, or, in this case, the first light of dawn, illuminate the water below in a magical mix of red and golden colors. In turn, the rippling surface of the water reflected itself on the roof creating undulating forms that moved around the place. It was a beautiful spectacle, but the old dragon no longer took notice of it. After so many years off watching it the elegant magic of water and light had lost all its beauty.

Instead, he tore off his bloodstained pants – the only clothing he'd decided to dress in that day - and let his power fill the cave, heating the dark water at his feet in just seconds.

The man then walked into the dark liquid without hesitation and completed several laps under the water until his blood pounded in his ears, his eyes blurred, and his lungs screamed for him to come up for air. He swam there for several hours, coming and going from one wall of the cave to the other, spending all the pent up energy he felt from the rage, and trying to get his emotions under control until he could focus again.

When he emerged from the water, it was morning and the pale sunlight filtered through the ceiling in a curious spectacle of red and blue colors. Eustass Kidd climbed of the water with a clear and sharp mind, feeling clean and relaxed. His muscles ached with a pleasant fatigue after his exercise and he had finally got his next plan of attack.

Smiling wickedly, the dragon ran a hand through his red hair to sweep the wet bangs away from his eyes before wandering away from the river and towards his room in search of clothes and food. He needed to rest and prepare before going out to begin his hunt for the gray-eyed man. He didn't want to give his enemy even the slightest chance to fight back, so he'd better be in the best shape possible in the shortest amount of time.

Arriving at his room, he grabbed a pair of sturdy black trousers, high boots made of leather, and a black shirt which fit too tight around his muscles. Then, just in case, he retrieved a light sword from another cabinet, where he kept his impressive collection of weapons. Satisfied, the redhead turned on his heel and returned to the tunnel, continuing onward toward the most important room in the cave: his sanctuary.

He walked through the dark passageways for a while, into the depths of the earth, into such an unseen and hidden place that no creature apart from himself had ever stepped foot inside. There, the walls of the cave widened into an enormous cavity, and into something so big it could house a palace inside its walls. It's ceiling was so high that it was even lost in the shadows of the cave and dense river of lava flowed through the cavity, forming a ring around a massive center made of stone. Like a crocodile-filled moat around a castle, just that this was much more dangerous than an innocent crocodile. You could just die by standing next to the ring an aspiring the toxic vapors.

There was no bridge to cross over, nor a ladder to climb. There were no obvious ways to get over it, only the roasting, melted rock. And, as a big bad joke, in the middle of the rock, in the very center of the cave, was one of the greatest wonders of the world and the pride of the old dragon.

His treasure.

Gold he'd accumulated throughout the centuries of his life filled the enormous space. There were old Spanish bricks of gold he'd rescued from ships sunken long ago, there were shiny Mayan coins covered in the dried blood of innocents, Egyptian offerings of bronze statues that represented half-animal half-human gods, Chinese jade jewelry, and sapphires the size of his fists that had been used in ancient Australian rituals. Pendants, bracelets, rings...all of such a great value that many would not only give their lives, but the lives of their families for just one of the coins.

But not everything glistened and gleamed under the light, as not all the treasures were made of gold and silver. There were also manuscripts from the devastated Alexandria library, European codices from medieval monks which held remedies for all of the diseases known at the time, and leather books with ancient Viking legends of magic and spirits. There were works of Italian painters from the Renaissance, as well as statues that represented each and every one of the world's greatest civilizations.

The knowledge of the world gathered in this dangerous and unstable space. And everything in perfect order and organization, surrounded by mountains of gold and protected by the bright, and ironic glow of the lava.

Kidd approached the river of magma, undeterred by the scorching heat it gave off. Putting one foot before the other, the dragon began to move above the liquid surface of the river with strong and quick steps. The soles of his boots hissed when they made contact with the melted stone, yet they didn't burn or melt because he didn't allow them to do so.

With steady steps Kidd walked to the nearest mountain of money and instantly felt the tension in his back crumble as he heard the distinctive sound of coins shifting under his feet. Yes, nothing like the soft tinkling of his treasure to help him relax.

While a few of the items had been procured by himself, most of them were gifts or tributes, offerings rather... compulsory.

Whenever he settled in a new place, he terrorized the surrounding villages. Normally he'd make these trips out of sheer boredom, since it was fun to see those humans who believed themselves so important flee, terrified and helpless, as they ran screaming for their lives. But there was still another reason for his scaring attacks: the more frightened the villagers became, the larger their peace offerings were. After all, everyone knew that dragons worshiped gold. So, in exchange for money and treasures, Kidd promised not to scare the people to death, destroy their homes, or eat their flocks of skinny sheep.

The deals were always worth the pain of dealing with those beings. At least for several centuries. After a while, fear was forgotten, the old men died and the legend of the frightening dragon disappeared. That was when the offerings would diminish, and the foolish humans would even dare to stand up against him and try to kill him.

But Kidd never gave a second chances, nor did he allow such attitudes.

When rebellions started to happen, the dragon's anger would rise once again, and never, in all the ages of his life, had he left survivors. Whole villages would be wiped from the map; clans, families, realms, nothing would be left but smoking ruins. And then the dragon would fly away, establish another lair, and the situation would again be repeated: terror, offerings, forgetfulness...Kidd sighed as he lay down on a pile of coins taken from an Aztec treasure. Maybe he would have to destroy everything here and look for another place to live again after he'd killed the man with gray eyes.

Shifting to lay in a more comfortable position, Kidd put his arms behind his head, posed one ankle above his opposite knee and focused on his surroundings. The lava roaring at his back and casting a sinister glow over the cold coins pressed against his skin, the throbbing pain of his healing wound...

Slowly, Kidd closed his eyes and finally drifted into a deep sleep, surrounded by the world's greatest treasure.

.

.

.

The mayor of the village leaned back in his desk chair and rubbed his temples with his fingertips. It had been a long day, a very, very long day, and as a result the pounding headache was increasing at each passing hour. First the furious dragon appeared at the entrance of his village, then the total destruction of half the town, then a weirdo who had appeared a few days ago easily fighting the beast, the fire, the mountain of corpses, the viceroy squealing at him...

Frankly, he was tired of all that shit. He needed a cigarette like a fish needs water. Smoking always relaxed him and made things right, and at a time like this, the poor man needed to stop thinking and brush off the accumulated stress of the day.

Thankfully his niece, Vivi, knocked the door at the moment with a cup of coffee and a packet his precious cigars on a tray. He almost stood up and covered her with kisses.

"Crocodile, can I come in?" she asked from her position just outside of the room. The black-haired man grimaced at the use of his name, as he always did. He'd told her thousands of times to call him 'Uncle' rather than by his real horrible name. Vivi however flashed a mischievous but affectionate smile and Crocodile growled in annoyance.

Routine. Comfortable. Relaxing.

"I've told you thousand times not to call me that." said the tall, dark haired man that had a scar across his face from his years as part of the army.

The young woman ignored him, and approached the desk to begin serving the coffee while he stole a cigar and lit it impatiently. Crocodile then leaned back in the chair and slid his feet onto the desk, allowing himself a moment of rudeness that, at any other time and with any other company, he would have resisted.

The girl gave him a worried but understanding look.

"It's been a hard day, right?" she asked. "With the dragon, the arrangements, the Viceroy..."

"Yes." Crocodile admitted. "Though the Viceroy's just an asshole who likes to blab, and the damage the dragon made doesn't worry me too much, after all, we have money to fix it. What worries me the most are the families of the dead who will probably seek revenge... and that Trafalgar Law." he remarked softly.

His niece watched him with a calculating expression. She had always been clever, it was one of the reasons he liked her, and the main reason why he'd hired her as his secretary.

Also, people tended to speak more freely in front of a pretty face.

"Trafalgar Law?" the blue-haired girl asked quickly. "The one who defeated the dragon?"

"He didn't defeat it, he only shooed it away." explained the grumpy mayor. He didn't want rumors to start so soon since it could lead to someone doing something stupid. "But yeah, that man doesn't convince me, there's something I don't like about him. Something's off"

His mind flew quickly to the moment, three hours ago, when he had spoken with the man. The young lad's hair had still been wild from the fight and his clothing has been covered in ashes from the fight. His gray eyes had looked tired and his skin seemed paler than normal, but even still, he'd still been able to make the mayor shake with uneasiness. Something about the man wasn't normal, and he old man didn't like it.

Crocodile had spoken to him. An entirely too quick and unrevealing conversation by his judgment. The dark-haired man had been sitting in one of the chairs in front of his desk with crossed legs and the long sword in his hand. His very presence had made the room seem colder than it was, and Crocodile had found himself pacing uncomfortably from one side of the room to the other, shivering slightly.

He'd asked questions, he had thanked the younger man for what he'd done, and had offered him a nice place to stay. But the man had rejected everything. He had said that he needed nothing, that he had everything he could want or require in the depressing cabin he had acquired when he had arrived. Crocodile had tried to extend the visit and had tried to manipulate the boy into staying something or training the troops of the city so they could defend it from the dragon. He had also attempted to get some information from the man on how to act and defend against the dragon.

But the lad hadn't released a word, and, after two hours of useless interrogation, the mayor had given up and had let the stranger go without knowing what else to say and feeling completely frustrated.

"Despite his attitude, he helped us." his niece said, looking serious and returning him to the conversation "For that reason alone he has my gratitude."

'If everything was that easy...' thought the mayor, watching his niece leave the room with that elegant dress and a determined demeanor.

But it was not. Things were not white or black, but a sea of different shades of gray. The fact that someone attacked your enemy didn't necessarily mean that they were now your ally. Vivi still has much to learn. Having honor and a sense of justice was nice, but in some cases those attributes were completely useless.

Settling further into his chair, he turned to the window and let the smoke from his cigar mingle with the air. His gaze then swept the room, the floors and ceilings made of old, dark wood that had become worn over the centuries, the yellowish shelves held books of accounts and finances, and the maps and paper bulletins that were hanging on the wall beside the oil lamps which flooded the room with a warm golden light. His niece had placed some plants in various corners of the room, stating that it would brighten his office. Crocodile had said nothing to stop her. After all, it was always more difficult to argue with her than to just go along with her whims.

Hypnotized, he let his gaze linger on the clouds of fog outside the window at his back. Scrolls curled and rolled through the air in a magical kind of dance. As the thoughts in his head. He still have a lot of things to do. Thankfully, due to the humidity of the area, the dragon's fire hadn't spread very far the previous evening, even so, he still had to pay the carpenters and talk to the affected families and…

Suddenly the air in the room changed, the atmosphere became more dense and heavy, and Crocodile began to feel uncomfortably warm. Alarmed by the sudden change of environment, he turned his head to find the cause of it and had to hold his breath when he saw it.

An enormous man standing before him across the desk.

As high as no one he had ever seen and with a bright red hair that almost touched the ceiling. His skin was paler than marble and his eyes shone the color of gold and dark magic. The man stood tall and powerful, with broad shoulders and powerful muscles that promised bloodshed, he was dressed entirely in black, and, though he apparently didn't needed it, he carried a long dagger in a leather sheath attached to his pants. The man was standing idly before him with a menacing expression on his face and fire in his eyes.

Crocodile could only open his mouth terrified and a bit concerned by the sudden appearance.

"Good morning, Mayor. I think we need to talk." the boy said with that voice full of dark promises.

Crocodile felt the adrenaline pumping through his veins on a rush of energy. He began to sweat and, as his mind panicked, he started to seek solutions and escape plans. He didn't know how, but he realized that the man before him was the dragon that had attacked the town the previous evening. He didn't understand why the creature was in his office, but it was obvious that he was up to no good. Was the dragon going to attack him ? Kill him in revenge?

The dragon however smiled at the man seated behind the desk. He could feel the human's panic and fear through his heightened senses. Like prey that had realized he will die after seeing the predator.

It was just perfect.

"O-of course...whatever you wish, sir." Crocodile managed to say with a tight smile as he turned to sit properly in the chair.

Kidd however frowned at his words. Really? Did the human honestly think that a few compliments was all it would take to win him? Moron.

"Let's see," Kidd started, wanting to leave a few things clear, "When I got here two centuries ago, your ancestors and I made a deal. We agreed that, in exchange for their lives, they would offer me gold and riches"

His hands fell with a loud thud onto the wooden desk between them and the mayor jumped, with tense nerves, watching terrified as the old wood began to burn beneath the redhead's hands. For Kidd, this was just a trick to create drama, but to his delight, it seemed to work perfectly on the other man. The human glanced anxiously at his steaming desk, growing paler by the moment.

"What happened yesterday was a total violation of the deal. Not only did you stop paying the tax for your life, but you also _tried_ to kill me." Kidd said watching the man's eyes open wide with panic as he instantly understood the message behind the dragon's words. "So," Kidd continued, "Give me just _one_ reason why I shouldn't kill all of you right now and take back my peace."

The dragon enjoyed the panic of the human. How he tried to compose an understandable sentence, how the cold sweat covered his forehead, and how his hands were shaking uncontrollably. Something inside Kidd was satisfied with that reaction. It was revenge and justice for what he'd faced the previous day. The dragon's pride as a predator returning to his rightful place, high and mighty.

He left the man quivering for a moment, and thinking of an answer under his glare. The mayor's stupid flattery had clearly passed away.

"We didn't know about the deal." Crocodile finally defended himself "We will arrange the gold delivery. I promise, we will give you twice the agreed amount. It won't happen again…"

"Of course you're going to pay for your lives again, and of course you'll pay double." the dragon replied, the look in his eyes leaving no objections. "But I didn't come here just for that" His voice dropped. Angry but controlled, just full of devil intents.

Moving away from the desk, he crossed his arms and fulminated the human before him. "I want the gray-eyed man," he demanded, "and you're going to hand him over to me as an apology for what you did. You will betray the person who helped you as your punishment "

The man who called himself mayor opened his eyes horrified.

"But we can't do that…He doesn't belong to the village, we can't..."

Kidd roared loudly and the room shook beneath his feet. Books fell to the ground and flames flickered on the walls, creating disturbing shadows. The mayor screamed while he instinctively took refuge behind his desk.

"I want the gray-eyed man." the dragon repeated with the flames of hell in his voice. "You will bring him to me on the next moonless night, on the hill on the north of this town." Kidd moved again towards the mayor and placed his hands on the burned surface of the table "You choose: your people, or the skinny lad"

And with that he then turned with an air of arrogance and disappeared through the other window of the office with an agile leap. Like a trick of the mind or a daydream nightmare. But with the mark on the desk as an irrefutable proof of his existence.

Crocodile instantly rose from his chair, tipping it over and listening at it clattered to the floor. He stood there, motionless, while an anxiety attack assaulted him.

His mind spun at full speed.

The dragon. The flames. The man with gray eyes. Sacrifice.

He sighed nervously and wiped his damp forehead with the back of his hand. He had no choice. The man with the metallic eyes had to die. It was for the common good. But Vivi and the rest of the village will never understand it. He had to do it in secret, he had to ...

As he mulled over the situation in his mind, an old dragon flew away hidden by the fog and rain.

On his face shone a smirk.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I know, Crocodile and Vivi, WTF? what's wrong with me? But I don't care what you think, I'm sure they will reunite in the manga and they will be happy ever after since Croco is a good boy since the impel down incident. ヽ(ー_ー )ノ
> 
> In any case, this chapter I have focus more on Kidd to explain a bit the situation they are and the world, I'm sorry Law didn't came out, but I will compensate in the next one I promise.
> 
> Hope you liked it and my apologies again for my English.
> 
> Thanks for reading, see you guys
> 
> (,, ･∀･)ﾉ゛


	3. Betrayal

 

Trafalgar Law was sitting in a small rocking chair on the porch of the cottage he had rented in the woods when he arrived at the village. It was a quiet and lone place where he knew no one would bother him and, therefore, he could focus on his mission without any distractions. The icy mountain breeze was coming down at that moment from the woods, stirring the leaves of the huge trees around him, and ruffling his black hair causing him chills. Law sighed briefly. Not that he minded the cold, after all he was born in the north, but definitely he couldn't stand the humidity of that area, the rain, the fog ... he hated the feel of the clothes sticking to his body and the feeling of being unable to breathe freely.

With a bandaged hand he passed another sheet of the old book he was reading to spend time. It was a very large volume about different kinds of poisons, venoms and other toxics murderers. Interesting and fun. But still not enough to distract his mind from the dragon theme. It was the first time that a prey had escaped from him. And not only that, he could still felt the blisters on his hands from the flames of the dragon and his muscles numb with exhaustion after having to stop them. Not only had the beast escaped, but he had also hurt him, his veins were still boiling with rage and humiliation from the very memory. But next time that will not happen, he sweared. Next time he would put the dragon's head as a trophy above his fireplace or he swore he wouldn't be called exorcist ever again. With just remembering the mocking voice of the monster in his head he had invented thirteen new ways of killing. And still counting.

He turned a yellowed page with bandaged fingers and read the title of dark letters and bundled calligraphy: Ricin. He had already studied it and memorized it years ago, he even had the damn plant growing happily at his home in Italy to obtain the poison firsthand. He turn to the next. Cicuta. Also known. Tired and frustrated Law closed the book with a thud.

He hated to wait doing just nothing, but what else he could do? He didn't know where the dragon was or how to find him, and he also needed his wounds to be healed before he could do anything. The last time he was almost killed when he underestimated his enemy, and this time he wouldn't let the dragon have the slightest opportunity. So he needed his body in its best condition and fitness. And just that was what he was beginning to worry about. It had been three days since the attack of the dragon, and the wounds on his hands and the tiring from his body hadn't disappeared and weren't healing in the slightest. Perhaps he could create some medicine or use a spell he had been taught during his training at the Vatican to speed the healing. He didn't used them to much because they required time and a lot of effort as well as ingredients that weren't sold on every market, but at least, making the formula, would help him kill time, he would heal quicker and he could kill the dragon sooner. And then he could give the mission as complete and he could return to the Vatican to sunbath in the Mediterranean sun and drink the delicious wine from the south.

He grunted slowly getting up with his aching muscles. Returning to the modest cottage, he set the book on top of a wooden table and took a small knife and a travel bag. The old cabin had only one room with a tiny bed and an antique suitcase at his feet. A fireplace on a corner warmed the little place and served as a little kitchen from time to time, a small table with a matching and lonely chair pressed itself against the naked wall, and a thin cabinet preserved the few dishes and wood glasses that were almost broken from the use they had suffered. Law had only enough things to live, no commodities, no decorations, and even the bed could be expendable if necessary. Some would call this a depressing and uncomfortable place, Law called it practical as he wasn't planning to spend too much time in the place.

Even though, this time, Law didn't notice the lack of furniture or decoration when he entered the house and went straight to the fireplace after taking what he needed. Quickly, he filled an old pot with water from the pit outside the house and put it on the fire for it to be boiling when he returned. That night there was a new moon, night of witches and goblins and the perfect one for making spells, so maybe it will not take too long to be prepared, he thought with a dark optimism.

Leaving the house, he hurried to the forest that surrounded the cottage and began collecting some of the herbs he needed for the spell. The flora in the area was different from the one in Italy and it took him longer than he pretended to get everything he wanted, needing, sometimes, to replace some plant he was looking for with other one that he supposed, from his knowledge of herbology, that had similar properties. Then he stored everything in the bag neatly, wiped the knife in a small river and returned home satisfied.

It was noon when he began to prepare all the ingredients on the table after closing windows and doors. The spell needed darkness to come out well, and he needed privacy to prepare it. Although the Vatican itself was the one who sended him to those places, he had been accused plenty of times of being a witch or a wizard in many of the villages he had visited. They had even tried to put him on a stake to burn as the Inquisition required. Law didn't want to spend another two hours at the office of the bitter mayor trying to explaining his situation, so it was better if no one saw him.

Approaching the steaming cauldron once he prepared everything, Law began to take the herbs in an order memorized years ago. First the four o'clock flower to sweeten the water and eliminate curses that could embitter the potion, three right turns with the wooden spoon, and then pulverized bark of birch for healing, holy thistle after two minutes of boiling, mullein for burns, a little lemon balm and ... For an hour Law added ingredients to the pot, stirring and occasionally muttering those old words in Latin filled with power.

When he had put the last ingredient: the dried petals of a lily, the pot was bubbling and a pleasant smell wafted through the room announcing that the potion was almost done. Law then tidied up the room and put some plants, the ones who had too much value to just discard them, in the trunk. Meanwhile he let the small pot bubbling. After a while, he pulled the stewpot away from the fire, and put it in the desk for it to cool a little and repose, then he opened the windows and doors so the strange smell of magic could vanish from the house and the bright for the day could come in.

After that he turned back to where the potion was and he began to remove the bandages from his hands cautiously. His fingers were red from the burn and the skin was still weak and tender despite the time that had passed and the treatments that he had used. They were scalded in the fire of a dragon. He growled angrily when he felt the cold air of the room in the sensitive wounds, even the slightest movement or friction hurted like hell. His hands were one of his most powerful and beloved weapons, his instrument, and he hated to see them reduced to that.

So, without hesitation, he went to pot and put his hands in the still hot and strange liquid. "Nng" The pain was there in an instant and Law hissed as he felt his skin bubbling into the potion. His face twisted into a grimace of pain and he closed his eyes tightly containing the cry in his throat. But still he didn't removed them and stubbornly endured the pain until it slowly subsided and he could exhale content with a sight.

He took the hands of the bubbling liquid.

His fingers were back, new, clean, and without scars or redness, calluses from using the sword were in his usual place, and the clean lines of his tattoos flew across his bony knuckles in the word "Death". Yeah, that was much better. Flexing his fingers he studied his hands thoroughly. This was one of his favorite potions because the healing was absolute and fast, but it definitely earned his worth with the horrible pain that caused the user.

Taking a glass from the table he introduced it into the bubbling and dense potion and, lifting it, he took a long ship from the drink. His face twisted into a grimace as the liquid touched his tongue. As gross as ever. With pain he felt then a sudden rush of energy as his muscles lost numbness and they returned to the placed where they belonged. This time however, he had to lean against the table to keep from falling to the ground until the effect ended, the pain was too intense and his body felt too heavy to bear it. So when the horrible agony finally concluded and his eyes were able to focus on what laid ahead, Law was panting heavily.

The exorcist then got up quickly without even worrying about his shaking legs, and he quickly grabbed the pot to threw what was left of potion to the fire. He didn't want to leave evidence and didn't want anyone to use it by accident. After that, still groggy from the effects of the potion, he picked back the book of poisons to return to a productive afternoon of reading.

The effects of the potion would still take a while to heal him completely, and, therefore, he still couldn't chase the dragon with that dazed mind and dulled senses,he was too weak, it would simply be a suicide. So he sat in the rocking chair again and reopened the book on the page of cicute and let the time pass by.

And that's when it happened. When he had dropped his guard and was distracted by the rush of the potion and the secrets of the book. A buzz in the air. A slight pinch in the neck. A tired feeling expanding in the zone.

Slightly dazed Law reached a hand to where he had felt the sting and he discovered a small dart there.

Shit.

Falling to the ground and losing the strength of his muscles with each passing second, he saw five men getting out of the forest surrounding the house and walking towards him without hesitation, not caring in the least if he could defend himself or cause any damage in his weak state. He even noted the figure of the mayor among them.

Shit, shit and double shit.

He tried to get up, he tried to get the dagger attached on his leg and throw it against the man who was nearest him. But he felt to the ground again. And then everything went black.

.

.

.

Crocodile approached the guy on the ground slightly surprised. From the beginning he hadn't thought that they could confront the guy face to face, clearly the other would win them not mater if they could bring an entire detachment of soldiers. Although it wasn't as if he could afford to take such a large group of soldiers without rising suspicion. So he had recruited four men and had armed them with all he could use against the man: darts and poisoned arrows with sedatives. A dirty and sad trick, but all he could get to win against someone who had survived the attack of a fucking dragon, but even so, the mayor have had his doubts and, at the end, he had finally placed three times the normal dose in the dart, enough to knock out an elephant. And the kid, however, had taken several seconds to faint and had even tried to stand up and defend himself.

Crocodile was really impressed. And he wasn't someone to be easily impressed.

"Get him and tie him well" he said to Daz Bones, his first in command and the one wearing the ropes.

The mayor didn't want even the slightest problem with the guy, because if he had, the dragon could get revenge with them and erase the village despite his promise. And also, in addition, the boy was also dangerous, there was no doubt about that, so it was better to be careful and to not mess everything in the last minute because of a stupid mistake.

"Now we have to take him to the northern hill right?" Bon Clay said with that unpleasant voice as he turned in a mock step of Ballet.

Crocodile nodded ignoring him as he always did. He stood the travestie covered in makeup reluctantly because the man was still useful despite his mental disability... And because his niece often asked to be nice to him. He didn't understand yet how those two had gotten to be friends.

"Mr 3 is collecting money from the deposit of the council, we will leave the boy with the offering and we will get out there before nightfall" the mayor announced to the group of men who followed him, reviewing the plan that was drawn to the last detail.

That way they wouldn't need to see the dragon, they'd be home before dark and no one would know anything.

"I wonder why the dragon wanted the boy" asked one of the men.

"Obviously to torture him" another scared one answered as he took the boy from the ground and carried him easily on his shoulder.

Crocodile again felt remorse at the mention of torture. But there was no turning back, it was the boy or them, it was the lesser evil so, swallowing his feelings, he began to walk through the woods and toward the hill.

"Poor man" started again the first boy "maybe we should kill him ourselves to save him the suffering, I can't even imagine what the beast is going to do him"

"¡No!" Crocodile cried with sharp nerves turning to look at the couple "The dragon wants him alive, and we will deliver him alive, or it's perhaps, that you want to take his place when the dragon decide to kill us for disobeying?"

And the two men didn't speak again during all the time the trip lasted, but when they left the boy on the mountain of money on the hill, Crocodile couldn't help noticing the looks of pity that all men dedicated to the young man.

The man sighed with regret surfacing his mind again. 'Forgive me' he thought as he spent one last look at the strange scenario: The boy asleep on bags full of gold and expensive objects forming a mountain in the middle of the desert hill, with his black hair scattered on the treasure and quietly breathing. The boy was tied with hands behind his back and a rope around his chest, his ankles were also immobilized, and as he could see, Daz Bones had done a good job. It really looked like an offering to an ancient god. It really looked like a sacrificial altar.

Crocodile turned around closing his eyes in pain and left with the group without daring to look back at what he had done.

Meanwhile, night approached.

.

.

.

That night was one of the darkest ones it was remembered in years. The huge moon dressed in black and even the stars disappeared under the thick blanket of clouds and fog. It was an enchanted night where no one, not even the bravest men, dared to leave their homes and walk in the freezer cold that flooded the valley. Something strange was flying in the air, ruffling the hair of every creature that dared to leave their home. But still, the old dragon wasn't paying even the slightest attention to the strange atmosphere, perfectly still, he lurked in the woods next to the lone field. Low clouds were licking the wet grass every so often, hiding his desired prize under a dense gray mantle.

Kidd then studied all the bare ground. Despite their strength and power, he didn't trust those twisted human. It was better to avoid traps and strange tricks. He had been two hours stalking the field. Studying any movement any sound or any indication that there were someone besides him in the place. But nothing had caught his attention yet, so finally he decided that there was nothing to worry about and that he could collect his prize without any problems.

Standing from his hiding he began walking out of the woods. A dark gray owl hooted in the darkness around him and Kidd moved slightly quicker accelerating his pace. It was always stimulating when he collected one of his reward. The excitement of what he would find, the satisfaction of victory, the joy of the dragon after seeing that familiar golden glow.

Finally he reached the edge of his treasure and stopped shortly as he felt his black leather boots sinking into the emerald grass. His joy vanished in an instant. His prey was there, but instead of being awake and terrified by his presence as it should be, the boy was unconscious and lying pathetically on the treasure bags like any other junk.

Kidd swore irritated. As a Dragon he loved seeing his prey tremble with fear, it helped to keep his huge ego as a legendary beast, but, seeing the other unconscious and possibly drugged, just took away all the fun and pissed him further.

Wait, Pissed?. Kidd frowned studying the feeling. Why was he so angry? Something in his mind told him it wasn't only the pride of the dragon what was causing the anger, that it was that part in his mind that the last time he had tried to silence. That part that was still fighting and stupidly unhappy after seeing the boy like this, after seeing such a man, the first one that has been able to hurt him, drugged pathetically at his feet. That part demanded to see the other conscious again, wanted to see him fight again standing on his two legs, and wanted desperately to sink back into those eyes the color of silver. An overprotective instincts arose in him and, stopped motionless in the middle of the hill, he suddenly wanted the blood from the one who had done this to the man with gray eyes.

But then he realized what he was thinking and he hit himself mentally. Hard. Quickly he locked the rebellious part of his mind deep in his conscience for it to never return to exince. However, all this was bothering him more and more. The brown haired boy was his enemy, the person he wanted to torture. Why that part of his mind wanted to protect him? He had never had such a conflict within him, what the hell was happening?

Kidd sighed. This wasn't the time for analysing his thoughts, and as much as he wanted to, he couldn't do anything against the current situation: the boy was unconscious, if he didn't liked this, well, fuck him, he couldn't stay any longer in this place, it was little defensible. So he went out of his momentary trance, and he began to transform into the huge scarlet dragon. He then stretched his body in the cold air of the night removing the numbness after two hours of guard, opened his huge wings and sinking them in the dense clouds of mist until his scales were soaked with moisture. He waved his long tail beating the air with a whistling sound as his head full of scales rose high and proud at night. The redhead then took the bags and the boy in its claws, taking care to not break anything or anyone, and started to flew away gently with a slight jump from the ground.

The trip was shorter than last time, after all, he had chosen that location precisely because of the proximity to his cave, so soon after, he landed at the entrance of his lair easily, leaving everything on the floor around him and, without any more difficulties, he transformed back into his human form. The first thing he did then, was to start searching in the boy's clothes for any weapons he could have carried or anything that could be used against him. He found an old, small dagger in his boot, knives inside the long fur jacket he wore, and some other sharp blades hidden in folds of his shirt, and all gave off that awful smell of old and coursed metal. Without hesitation he threw them into the huge cliff that was at the entrance of the cave and that served as a dissuasive measure for many of those who tried to catch him.

Then he took the boy carelessly under his arm, and enter into his cave without looking back. The man weighed less than they the dragon had thought, Kidd could clearly distinguish the powerful muscles under his clothes as he manhandled him, but still he was too small for a human of his size. Was him okay? The redhead studied the boy while he still walked through the corridors of the cave with the brown haired boy so still in his arms that he seemed almost dead, which made Kidd, curiously, slightly angry again. The other wouldn't die until he has taken his revenge, thought the old dragon recalling his ideas for torture, and trying to silence the voice of protest that emerged as consequence.

An then he arrived at the little dungeon that he had built centuries ago, but the one he had never had the pleasure to use. The twisted iron bars on the door opened only to his command and the handcuffs inside were so strong that not even a giant would be able to broke them.

Kidd left the boy there, tied to chains hanging from the ceiling in a way that left the man unable to neither sit or lie. Uncomfortable and painful. Kidd wasn't planning to leave him there for a long time, after all he had painful and sad plans for the boy, but the boy wasn't going to know that fact and he would suffer hanging from the roof without knowing when the dragon was going to put him down. So, satisfied with his work, the redhead closed the door behind him and looked for the first time and thought the bars of strange shapes, to his prisoner.

The man was asleep and his strange gray eyes were hidden by those long black lashes he had. His breathing was calm and quiet probably thanks to the drugs on his blood, and his black clothes broughted up his tanned skin, kissed by the sun of the south. The human wasn't from the area, the beast was sure of that, which brought to his mind the question of why was he there. Curiosity picking up at each passing moment, the dragon continued studying his prisoner. His face had those sharp and elegant features of someone who has known power for all his life, and that strange goatee he was wearing gave him a rebel but attractive touch that would surely bring women to their knees wherever he wanted. Kidd frowned feeling something twisting inside him, a feeling of irritation with another that he didn't quite recognize: something wasn't right, but the old dragon didn't quite know exactly what. Changing the weight to his other foot, the redheaded returned to focus on the man, this time seriously studying him rather than looking at him with curiosity as he had did before. His soft hair as black as the night in which he loved flying, those strange tattoos that could be seen underneath the white and thin shirt he was wearing, and which apparently stretched to his han-

Kidd opened his eyes in surprise. The wounds. They weren't in his hands.

He quickly got closer to the bars and confirmed what he had saw with his eyes. The injuries weren't there although in his memoirs the dragon saw the red blisters on the boy's fingers as if he had just done them a moment ago. It wasn't possible, the wounds made by dragons fire never healed, at least in humans, which meant that ... that the boy wasn't human. It was one of their own, a blessed being with the power of magic and immortality.

But then why had the boy attacked him? He had never been attacked by one of the other creatures, they had a kind of non-aggression agreement between them, they just had enough with the humans. And what would he be? A demon? A black elf? A changing? He didn't recognized any feature from the other races, but if he could acquire a human form he must be pretty powerful. Kidd was fascinated watching his recent prisoner and plotting thousand theories about him.

At the end he mentally slapped himself a second time in the day. No matter what he was, the thing is that the boy had attacked and dared to hurt him. And he had to pay the consequences. It didn't change anything except the fact that the dragon would need to be more careful around the boy when dealing with him.

Still frustrated with his own treacherous mind, he turned back from the cell and walked away returning to the entrance of the cave to his beloved gold. He would leave it in his place among the rest of his treasure. And then he would eat something, he would remove the annoying points in his wound and then ... well, then the dragon would think of what to do with his beloved guest.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it, I know that the story it's going a bit slow and that you want to see Law and Kidd interact more, but as you see, in the next chapter the fun is going to start and I'm gonna focus only on them for a few chapters, I promise.
> 
> You are gonna hate me in the future, I know it, but I don't really care, it's my fic and I can do what I want (apart for destroying the english language).
> 
> See you guys~
> 
> Ψ(｀▽´)Ψ


	4. Captive

When Law opened his eyes, all he felt was a huge pain through each tiny part of his body from head to toe, a familiar but not least annoying pain that prevented him from clearly focusing on his environment and where he was. The dark haired man growled confused at it and shook his head side to side with more effort than usual, trying to organize his ideas and clarify his thoughts. Fuck, it hurt a lot. Confused he tried to remember what happened to him to be like that.

They had sent him from the Vatican to a village in Romania with a strange legend he has had to solve. Yes. When he had arrived at the place it all turned out to be shitty village with medieval superstitious people. Yes. The legend however, has been true and he had faced the red annoying dragon spitting fire and roaring like his life depended on it. Yes, and a thousand fucking times, yes. Then he has had to heal his wounds with the potion invented by the idiot San Miguel and...

Well, that explained the familiar pain coursing throughout the body, but it didn't explain the stupid fatigue and lightheadedness. It was true that the potion always left him a little exhausted, but it had never come to this extreme so he returned to rummage in his numb mind to find one possible explanation to the fact. He had drunk the potion and then had left the porch and ... goddammit, the Mayor!

That was the problem. He had been drugged with a poisoned dart. It doesn't matter how many healing potion he had taken, somehow it would cost him a bit too much power to get over this. It was the poison against the antidote. The potion and drugs would fight one another in his veins until only one stood, which would probably take quite the time, and during all that time he would be left dizzy and helpless. Stupid brainless Mayor.

But where he was? And why the mayor had poisoned him if he hadn't done a thing? His mind was too stunned to think rationally, and every little thought was just increasing the headache. So, instead of analyzing his situation, he devoted himself to study his surroundings.

As he could see through his blurred vision, he was in a gloomy cavern with strangers bars, and ...yeah, he was handcuffed to the ceiling. Just great. Law opened his eyes in surprise because, how hadn't he realized this before? Although now that he focused, he could feel an absolutely nothingness from his body, it was just like an overall stiffness of each nervous termination he had, but from the posture in which his arms and wrists were, they should be hurting like hell. He should be thankful if they haven't lost all sensibility forever at this point. Law frowned starting to worry about the situation he was into, and, hoping for an escape, he studied again his surroundings with a rush of adrenaline. He was in a cave, a cave? He hasn't seen any cave in the village where he had been traveling in secret, door to door, to find the stupid dragon. So if he wasn't in town, Where he was?

"So you're finally awake" said a voice somewhere in the shadows across the bars of the little cell.

Law instantly raised his head with trouble and scanned the place in search of the man, who had spoken, but his eyes still didn't focus correctly and in the end he only saw shadows lurking in the darkness. Yet that voice sounded something familiar, he didn't quite remember where he had heard it as it sounded slightly different, but it still had that hoarse and powerful tone despite seeming more... human.

And his mind made the conexion.

"...Shit" he whispered through clenched teeth. And his voice sounded tired and pasty, so far away from his usual calm and arrogant tone that it was another kick on his battered ego. Even the stupid dragon let out a mighty laugh that echoed on the walls of the cave, although Law didn't know whether it was from what he had said or for the shattered he had sounded.

Still, Law felt relieved as his senses were awakened to the danger and the adrenaline coursed through his veins in sharp blows. So they had brought him to the lair of the giant lizard. Why not? Had they made some kind of deal? Or had the lizard just threatened them? Yeah, definitely the second seemed more like it.

Law shifted slightly and felt the heavy and cold metallic handcuffs burn his wrists when they began to recover the sensibility. He then tried to adopt a more dignified pose, and, at least, stand up, because hanging from the ceiling like a puppet definitely wasn't very mighty and honorable.

"Where am I?" he finally asked after swallowing a big gulp of disgusting saliva for his voice to not sound so scratchy and finished.

"In my house" quickly replied the dragon with a slight satisfaction in his voice, as if only, with that little fact, he had won the battle going on between them both.

Law meanwhile wanted to roll his eyes tiredly. Why was he always underestimated? Really did the other believe that Law was totally at his mercy? Because the tone he had used seemed so proud of himself. But it didn't matter too much, as always; underestimation was the best for him.

"Yes, I see" The exorcist said giving an eloquent and boring look at the place "a gloomy and depressing place, just like the owner"

And with the little comment, the victorious and peaceful atmosphere disappeared in a mere second.

With a slight growl, the dragon came to the bars and a powerful hand closed deadly over them, only it was not a dragon, it was a man who looked about his age, but who was so much bigger than him.

"You can say whatever you want" started the huge man "but you should remember that you are totally at my mercy right now" he said with a smile full of teeth and a warning look.

Law studied him carefully. He was tall, a very very tall man, and the bright red hair he had almost flared in the dim light of the cavern. He had electrifying golden eyes that were watching him with triumph and arrogance, and a huge smile of white shiny teeth and thin lips that screamed of dominance. The man was gorgeous, but the most impressive thing about him was the strength and power given off by his body. Law could practically taste the magic that surrounded the man, so dense, ancient and powerful that it was like he was drowning in it, and not to mention the impressive musculature the boy had and that seemed about to break the tight black shirt he was wearing.

He was definitely handsome, strong and, to Law's annoyance, intelligent, the exorcist unconsciously approved him as a man, and when he realized what he was thinking, he hated the creature even more.

If fighting against him in the dragon form has been complicated, this new form wasn't going to be easy neither. But thankfully. The redhead had made clear from the start, that he had a huge weakness that Law wouldn't hesitate to take advantage from: a pride as great as Law's own.

"So _you_ are the dragon?" he asked skeptically, checking out the man from head to toe with a disillusioned and sarcastic hint.

The redhead, who had been watching him in silence the few minutes Law have been studying him, frowned and crossed his arms on his chest. Law glared fiercely at the muscles of pectorals and arms, bulking now further with the movement, he had to recognize that the human form of the dragon was really kind of…

"Yes" replied the redhead with a bit of disdain from the opposite side of the bars, getting the human out of his own thoughts "Why?"

Law tried not to smile. He had thrown the bait and the man had bitten it with passion, this kind of men were so easy to manipulate sometimes.

"I don't know" replied the brown haired man shrugging and faking disinterest "I was expecting something a little more ...impressive"

And the first blow hit squarely the huge target that was the redhead's ego. Law had to hold his smile again as the other frowned with rage. His eyes flashed, his muscles tensed under his shirt and even an angry vein scored on his forehead.

"Well I am" he firmly said looking at him with so much hate he could have ended dead if glares could kill "I'm Eustass Kidd, monarch and sovereign of the seven dragons who dominate this world" he announced smug and proudly again.

Law swallowed saliva at the answer and liked his dry lips watching how the dragon followed the movement. So it was true. There were seven dragons dominating the seven continents, if you counted the disappeared Atlantida and hidden land of hell. Seven, as the magic number. This was an important discovering, and certainly, he should inform the Vatican for it to chase the other dragons like he was hunting this one.

Still, right now wasn't the time to worry about that matters and Law didn't let the new information affect him, he just have to kept the conversation as if he had already known the fact from the start.

"Dominate? Sorry but I had never heard of any dragon dominating anything" he said with boredom and sarcasm again, raising one eyebrow in the universal sign of 'you are stupid', "and besides, I doubt that someone _like you_ would be able to rule over something without destroying it in seconds"

Second shot, second target. This time the redhead grabbed the iron bars again and bared his teeth like an angry animal. The magic of his power trembled with rage and the room temperature increased a good five degrees. Law internally thanked him as he was regaining his body sensibility and he was discovering that it was cold. Very cold.

"Well, I don't expect an asshole like you to be able to understand something as complex" the redheaded answer with aversion and a clear sense of superiority.

And this time it was Law's turn to get pissed.

"An asshole that left you, _the big great dragon_ , with the wound you have on your chest" he bitterly responded with the same angry and dislike the dragon was talking.

Kidd roared into the cave and the sound was so powerful that Law could only shake impressed by such power. The redhead looked at him with the deepest hatred that he had never seen him in anyone, and the strange power surrounding him pressed on his body almost asphyxiating him.

"You will rot in here for the rest of your life" the dragon announced with those golden eyes glowing in the dark.

And with that the redheaded turned and disappeared into the darkness. Law instead stood there, hanging from the ceiling, in silence, with the feeling of suffocation still squeezing his chest, and the rage and a handful of drugs stirring his blood.

.

.

.

The dragon paced in his room feeling trapped. It had been hours since his last and only visit to his prisoner, but he still kept thinking about the little conversation they have had repeating it again and again. He had seen the man woke up with confusion on his face as his enigmatic gray eyes tried to focus on his environment, then he had been watching the boy for a while from his hiding position in the shadows, studying every move he made, the expressions he weared or every minimal breath he took.

And then he had tried to start a civic conversation.

The origin of the man still fascinated him and also he still wanted to know how the boy had healed the wounds on his hands, so had tried to scare him a bit with his mere presence as he always did with the rest of the people, hard glances and intimidating roars also used to help to get some information. He had felt stupidly pleased to see the boy recognizing his voice and cursing under his breath ... but then things had gone to shit too quickly.

He still remembered how the little human had been getting on his nerves with every comment he made, and how, at the end, he had been the one who had given away the fuking information, and worse, he had been so blinded by anger and the offenses that he hadn't even noticed it.

But it wouldn't happen again, the next time he would be the one who would manipulate the boy as he wanted.

With his resolve on mind he went to the table on his room to take another piece of the deer he had hunt that morning, still raw and bloody since he hadn't bothered to cook it this time. He ate quickly without really tasting the tender meat and, with his bare hands as a wild animal. When he finished he cleaned the mess and headed to the training room where he did a few exercises to release the tension, then he bathed in the huge pool with the sun rays, shaved the little subtle he had with one of the knives, and went quickly to the jail of his prisoner with a clear and focused mind. It was quite interesting how talking with the other seemed to have become the only activity that occupied his mind without him noticing it.

When he arrived at the cell, the man was hanging from the chains on all his weight and starting to fall asleep from the boredom he must be enduring. The tanned man then raised his head as he listened him approach and studied the shadows clearly more awake than the first time. Kidd was silent for a moment as he stood in front of the bars with his arms crossed, and then they both looked at each other intently. The part of Kidd's mind that was still repressed was satisfied to see the boy healthy and clearly more focused, although it was still yelling to take away the chains the boy was carrying. Kidd ignored the voice tired of that stupid fight.

"What's your name?" the redhead asked at last, in a tone that seemed more of a command than a question itself, but that was more soft and gentle than the last time they have talked.

The boy cocked his head thinking about his question for a moment and Kidd clenched his fists on his arms starting to get angry for no apparent reason. But the truth was that when he talked with that tone, people obeyed him instantly, they didn't look as deciding whether or not to answer, they just did it. And dear god, what was he supposed to do with the name? Kill him? Why couldn't he simply answer as a normal person?

"Give me some water and I might answer" replied the brown haired man with a soft and innocent smile.

Kidd gritted his teeth, now clearly angry.

"Are you blackmailing me?" him, the greatest predator of the world the lord of all dragons.

The man smirked again with an evil look.

"Yup"

Kidd roared wanting to break something, preferably the boy's neck, but this time he wouldn't fall so easily on the human's tricks, he wouldn't let go and lose another stupid argument because of his temper and pride. He was in charge and the other had to accept it, the human would answer his questions and that was all. No blackmailing.

"What makes you think I'll accept it?" asked the arrogant dragon.

"Well" said the boy looking at the ceiling with a bored sigh "I have been trained since I was six to endure torture, punishment and pain" announced so fuking calmly "so if you want to get information, the only way is to accept the blackmailing and giving me something in exchange"

Kidd watched him seriously. Something inside him twisted at the mental image of a six year old child being tortured. The human race could be cruel, but he had never heard anything so extreme. Even the demons didn't dare to do that, the children always were a gift to all creatures he knew. But the dragon didn't smell a lie coming from man, so it should be true.

And even more horrible.

"How I can believe you?" said the red haired man staring at him intensely, hesitating still bit.

He didn't want to believe nor pity the man, he already had enough with his unhealthy mind and the perverted ideas it sent him about what he could do with the boy, but apparently it would be inevitable.

"Let's see, you can waste your time and mine trying to torture me to get the information" the gray haired man began "or you can just trust me and give me a fucking glass of water"

Shit and more shit, the boy was too smart for Kidd's liking and, while torturing him was a great temptation at the moment, he deeply knew that the human was telling the truth. The dragon groaned annoyed already knowing his answer.

"Okay" he finally said, rolling his eyes tired. He knew that all this search of information wasn't going to be easy, and a glass of water seemed quite cheap compared to what he had expected to pay "but first tell me your name" he quickly retort, refusing to let the boy win another match.

But the boy dared to laugh.

"You think I'm stupid? How do I know you'll give me water when I tell you, and that you won't leave here with nothing?"

Kidd couldn't' stop the amused smile.

"Well" said the dragon with a wicked grin "you can waste your time trying to argue with me, or you can accept that you're at my mercy and tell me your stupid name so I can give you the water" repeated the dragon mocking him arrogantly.

The smile vanished from the face of the tanned boy, and the dragon again felt his pride grow back, satisfied after his little revenge.

"Or you can give me your word, and promise me that you will do it" replied the human, with a third option and that brilliant intelligence.

And this time it was the turn of the Dragon to smile sarcastically. Of course the other had been studying him. And of course he had discovered the damn information. A dragon could never break his word, it was something sacred to them, breaking a promise was just unthinkable.

"Don't be a brat and tell me, it's just a name" repeated the frustrated redhead clutching the bars and roaring loudly, futilely trying to intimidate him.

"No" Followed the boy with that smiling superiority again "give me your word first"

Kidd hit the bars and glared at him. He could go and send the human to hell, he knew that the boy would eventually give up, he could also torture him, manipulate him with his magic, but that would be like recognizing that the man had won this assault. And he was too curious and secretly amused by this little talk and where it could go.

"All right" he said at last with a tense and pissed voice "I promise you that in exchange of your name I will give you water"

And immediately it was as if a heavy chain had felt on his shoulders. The man smiled triumphantly and the sickening sound of breaking metal was heard through the cavern while Kidd separated his hands from the crushed bars.

"My name is Trafalgar Law" the human finally said in a singsong voice teasing the dragon, and then, after hearing him, Kidd stormed out of the cavern without saying anything, following the compulsion to find a water to give to the human.

In less than two minutes, he was back with a fucking metallic jar filled with the pure liquid from the kitchen, and with a beginning of a headache for taking too long doing it. With a mental command, the bars of the cell twisted to let him pass inside, like a puppet commanded by its master, and, with no delay, he approached the annoying human. The boy was looking at him with an amused smile and mocking eyes, chained, but still with the feeling of superiority oozing from him. Kidd stood in front of him frowning; he was higher than the dark haired man for several centimeters and could definitely break his neck without much effort. In every way he was someone better than this man, and yet there he was, giving him a drink.

Grumbling so fuking annoyed, Kidd raised a hand and grabbed the chin of the boy forcing him to open his mouth without any further delay. The quickest they do it, the sooner this would be over. The man struggled a bit against the strong fingers digging into his jaw painfully, but Kidd kept him in place without much effort, slightly enjoying the bastard's pain.

"Open your mouth" the dragon ordered.

"Say please" the human kept provoking.

Ignoring the stupid boy and fed up with his bulshit, Kidd returned to sink his fingers on the other's jaw until something crunched beneath them and the boy gasped, and, obediently, opened his mouth.

And something dark crossed the dragon's eyes.

The old creature suddenly realized, through the chained part in his mind, that there was something exciting in the stupid scene they were having, with the arrogant boy chained and totally dependent on him, almost kneeling at his feet, and with his mouth open, waiting for what the dragon wanted to do to him. With his rough fingers, the redheaded stroked those full lips that the boy had; they were soft and juicy at his touch, perfect to close around a cock.

His mind began to wander still looking that submissive mouth and those eager eyes.

"Water" Murmured the boy as he could, under his hard grip. And Kidd growled angrily.

What the hell was he thinking? Lifting the jar he finally bow it into that tempting mouth, and the chains disappeared from his shoulders as the first drop touched the human's lips. The boy swallowed it then, and the old creature had then a great idea while watching the movement of the muscles of the tanned man's neck and that pink tongue licking his lips in a very appetizing way.

Smiling like a demon, he lifted the jar before the boy could give a second gulp.

The look of hatred that Law gave him was just epic and worthed all his previous suffering.

"I'm sorry, but you didn't specify the amount of water you wanted" the dragon innocently said shrugging his shoulders "but if you tell me where you're from, and what you are doing here I may think to give you another little bit"

Law gritted his teeth and tried to escape from the monster's grip, but the dragon would have none of it and grabbed him impossibly harder. He rather seemed to be enjoying having him arrested. However, he needed water, humans couldn't stand more than three days without liquid, and he had spent one and a half. He was _dying_ of thirst. And the information wasn't so important. Yet, he knew that after this innocent question, other ones would come in exchange for the glory water, and maybe those wouldn't be so innocent.

But he would think about it in the future. He could always lie. Finally surrendering to his fate Law replied.

"I come from Italy, and I came here specifically to kill you"

And the water fell over his mouth.

.

.

.

Law shifted uncomfortably. He had been four days with the dragon as his prisoner, and nothing had yet happened. The dragon had only locked him up there in the cell, and came to see him twice a day, once in the morning and one in the afternoon. Or at least what Law thought was the afternoon since he couldn't see anything from the outside in the cave, and the time was simply governed by the visits of the beast.

For now, the dragon had only interrogated him in exchange of water or a miserable piece of food. No torture, no punishment or humiliation, just plain and simple conversation. Which was a bit strange and suspicious. Law was starting to think that the beast was trying to win his trust, but that would be just ridiculous. Furthermore the dragon usually made general questions such as age, or Italy, or why he wanted to kill him. There had been a tense moment when the beast had asked him what he was, and Law had replied without hesitation that a mere human. They had waste two hours discussing the fact, and in the end the dragon had flew out the place clearly angry for the conversation, leaving a confused Law thinking about what had just happened.

But nothing more.

Law usually had responded the questions the dragon made without worrying too much, after all, the beast remained undiscovering the important information: that he was an exorcist and trained murderer, about the Vatican or the weapons tricks and spells he used... and besides, Law had also discovered some things about the dragon apart from the ridiculous name.

The man was arrogant like no one he had ever meet, was born in Scotland and was the former Governor of Europe. Law also believed, that the beast should have more than five thousand years. However Law knew that the dragon would have a hideout too with mountains of an impressive treasure, but he hadn't dared to ask about that, he had felt enough humiliation when the idiot had to feed him and give him water or wine while he was kneeling and accepting, helplessly, every bite that was given, standing against the look of superiority of the red haired, or the other strange and intense look he sometimes received.

Although at least it was better than the time the redhead had dropped him from the ceiling and had directed him, with a knife threatening his back, to a huge pool covered by the cracked ceiling of the cave. There, the idiot had forced him to bathe before his watchful eye, saying he was stinking his beautiful den with his horrible smell. The tanned boy, of course, get angry at the comment, but he still knew he needed to bathe, and not only for the sensitive nose of the stupid beast.

In any case Law had denied the dragon the pleasure of seeing him naked and vulnerable, and instead, he had gotten into the frozen water fully clothed and had swam two times from tip to tip as if it were the most normal thing in the world to do. In the water Law had searched for an escape, he had searched for a weapon, just a rock to throw at the moron, but he had found none. When Law was out of the water, the other had only smirk knowing perfectly what he had been doing but have said nothing, then the dragon had forced him into the cell again and had chained him to the ceiling without a problem thanks to the weakness that still was clinging to Law's body.

And Law had spent all night shivering in wet clothes and cold bones until Kidd decided to delight him again with his presence, and had warmed the room with the magic as he always did when he get angry at Law's words.

But Law had already endured enough. His initial plan when he had woken in the dragon's den had been to hold on for five days discovering what he needed from dragon, and then, get out of there to prepare a decent offensive and kill the monster. But he couldn't stand it anymore. If he saw again that smirk on that face and those golden eyes staring at him with that arrogant disdain, he would commit suicide. He was going to get out of there and was going to kill the asshole, right now, then he would leave the damn Rumania and he would send the damn fuking town to the hell.

The other was gone and it was his second visit, so he would have about twelve hours to carry out the plan. Making use of the numb muscles of his arms, Law rose slightly in the air and contorted himself until his mouth was at the same level with the cuff of his shirt. There, hidden between the sewing of his clothing, there was a tiny needle, smaller than a hair and definitely not powerful enough to be used as a weapon. If it could be used as a weapon the dragon would already be dead, but the good thing about the useless object was that it was so small and it was so hidden, that nobody would be able to discover it unless he knew it was there, and it was just perfect for these kinds of situations.

He then caught carefully the needle between his teeth and, stretching just a bit more, he took the sharp object in his right hand. Tired, but with his goal complete, he felt down into the ground again and breathed evenly to dissolve the pain on his muscles. Afterwards, with firm fingers and the precision of a surgeon, he introduced the needle into the lock of the chains and, in the next moment, the handcuffs fell at his feet.

Law rubbed his wrists with a sigh of relief.

Opening the cell wasn't very complicated and, with a quick flick of magic, he soon walked steadily and safe in the dark cave after leaving his gloomy cell behind. Without hesitation he stepped into a small room decorated in a military style that he reminded, from his trip to the pool, to be plagued with shields and weapons. It had been hidden behind a ledge of rock, but with the training he had received, Law never missed a thing, and as soon as he saw it, he had memorized it in his mind. In the small but cluttered room he quickly took -because there was no time to waste in this precarious situation- a sharp knife and a curved dagger of Arabic design he found in a dark closet.

Now the only thing left was to find the dragon.

Because he would kill the dragon. He still remembered the first time he had seen him. Such arrogance and contempt. His instinct had classified the monster as an enemy instantly, although there was something strange that didn't quite fit, a feeling of constant alert and danger. He had also feel it when the dragon stared at him with that intense and strange look that left his mouth dry. He didn't know why but when the man looked at him like that, totally serious and without taking his eyes off him for even a moment, Law became stupidly nervous and felt something exciting churning in his stomach. It happened when the other fed him, had happened in the pool and each time the other looked slightly at him.

It was a curious thing that had never happened to him, and that he didn't want to think much about, after all, it would be over soon. Clutching the dagger, he went through the huge tunnels of the place as his senses expanded until they found the calm breathing of his sleeping prey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't you guys feel the love? There's so much romance going on that I'm going to cry (｀∇´)ψ
> 
> I love this pair so much (*≧▽≦)ﾉｼ))
> 
> Any lovely and kind review for the stressed author?


	5. Deal

Kidd slept that night like he hadn't slept in years. The bed he hadn't used in years felt huge and too soft against his body and it almost seemed like he was floating between sheets and fluffy pillows. Gross. The dragon didn't exactly know why he was sleeping there instead of on his stunning treasure, but strangely, the change wasn't as bad as he thought it would be.

The redhead was satisfied and happy, and that had a lot to do with the gray eyed man locked in his dungeon. In his cave. At home. It was as if a possessive instinct he didn't know he had, had awakened on him after meeting the man, a instinct he had only been able to calm when he had finally trapped the boy in his cave. It was a stupid feeling and he knew it, he knew he should start to worry about how he felt about the boy, but now, on his bed, he just wanted to sleep soundly and rest after several days of searching, capturing, and psychologically torturing his prey.

Growling in pure pleasure, Kidd turned into the big bed that, compared to his huge body, still looked tiny. He loved his bed almost as much as his treasure. Almost. The Chinese Silk sheets were of an intense scarlet with a golden edging, the covers were stuffed with goose feathers and stitched by the hands of the priestess of the temples on the north, and even, the headboard carved in Indian pearl, would cost an entire empire. This room was just the dream of every man; with floors covered in fur rugs, wardrobes full of extravagant costumes, and curtains and cushions in every corner of the room making it seem comfortable, it would allow any man to retire early without worrying about money for the rest of his life. Yet, the redhead rarely used it preferring the cold touch of gold against his skin when he slept.

He had never understood the obsession that dragons had for gold. He knew it was a problematic compulsion that made him risk his life more times than he should; he knew it was more comfortable and healthy to sleep in a bed than on a pile of coins. He fuking knew it. So he had always tried to get rid of the fascination that the golden metal caused him and behave as the intelligent being that he was, and not like the animal the humans assumed him to be.

By now, the problem hadn't been solved at all.

That night anyway there was something telling him that he shouldn't go to his sanctuary as he always did, and the same feeling kept him from sleeping as soundly as he wished. So here, he continued lying uncomfortable in his bed waiting for sleep and with his senses uselessly alert.

And it was then, as he turned again resting now on his left side and putting his hand under the fluffy pillow, when he heard it. It wasn't even a whisper, not even a rustle of clothing against skin; it was just the air moving when it should have been absolutely still. If Kidd hadn't been who he was, and if he hadn't had hearing as sharp as he had, he probably would have missed it, shit, even if he had been just a bit more distracted he wouldn't have realized it.

But once he found it, the dragon couldn't avoid it more.

Pretending he was still asleep and that he hadn't noticed anything, he regulated his breathing, tensed his muscles and waited motionless. The air continued to move quietly and slowly around his bed, advancing until the intruder stopped in front of him like a true predator, stalking and studying its prey before attacking.

But he was not a damn prey. He was the terrifying dragon.

The sharp sparkle of metal shone in the dark. And Kidd opened his eyes as the weapon drew a curve in the air approaching his neck. It all happened in an instant. Kidd turned in the air seizing his attacker with a fast and fluid motion before he achieved his aim. A gasp sounded in the darkness while Kidd pushed the man into the bed and instantly immobilized him by sitting on top of him and holding his wrists above his head. The attacker instantly squirmed beneath him trying to escape his grip and attack again, but, realizing the strength of the red haired and the position he was in, he finally stopped knowing it was impossible for him to escape.

Kidd made his power envelope the room then, and the hundred candles he had on the walls and shelves flickered flooding the room with thousands little dots that shed light on the situation. And, as the dragon had feared, his beloved prisoner was in his bed with a knife still in his hand and an offended look on his face. Kidd had immobilized his body and wrists in an unbreakable hold, but with no doubt, the slightest slip from his part could cost him his life under the skilled hands of the boy.

The dragon and the human looked at the other's face con the light like the first time they had met: with hate, anger and a mild curiosity.

''What do you think you are doing?'' asked the redheaded, staring into those gray pools that were the other's eyes, raising an eyebrow sarcastically while waiting for an answer.

''Killing you'' the boy plainly said, fighting again against his grip in search of freedom.

And Kidd didn't know whether if he should laugh at the stupid sincerity of the little one, or be offended because the boy thought that he could kill him so easily. In the end he just decided to have fun and mock him in revenge.

"Well, you're kind of horrible at it don't you think?" he replied with an arrogant smirk, seeing the surprise in the eyes of the man after the provocative commentary, and how they glowed with rage at his wounded pride.

"Don't worry, with practice you learn" his prisoner replied in the same playful-murderer tone "next time I won't miss you".

And this time Kidd couldn't contain his laughter. Okay, he had to admit that, since he had captured the punk, he was enjoying humiliating and drawing information from him, the dragon had only met few people with a pride as big as his own one.

"It offends me that you think it will be a next time, boy" said the dragon again with that smirk and a soft threat.

The human only smiled back as he lifted himself on his fixed elbows getting closer to the monster's face in a, so-called, intimidating gesture. Gesture that only made Kidd's mind derive again to inappropriate topics.

"Oh, there will be a next one, don't have the slightest doubt" the tanned boy also replied smiling with that disturbing security.

And the false innocent talk disappeared to become the dark truth. They looked at each other with crude disgust and rage. Until Kidd, tired of their little game, pushed Law back into the mattress and leaned over the human's face getting deep into his personal space without the slightest regret.

"How have you escaped?" he asked inches from his face.

And this time it was the turn of the arrogant boy to laugh. "Magic" he replied with a wicked grin.

The dragon clenched his jaw getting angry again, so easily that it was just sad. Nevertheless, Kidd ignored the fact and dug painfully his fingers into the other's wrists trying to submit the human. The boy didn't even flinch, he only laughed again on his face mocking him further. Kidd didn't know what to think, was the boy telling the truth? The human`s wounds had healed, so he could be a magical being and could be telling the truth. But then, why hadn't he escaped before? Why hadn't the boy tried to attack him when Kidd had brought him out of the cell? And what the hell was Kidd supposed to do now? If he returned to lock the irritating human on the cell, the boy would escape and maybe, the next time, he will achieve his goal of killing the great dragon.

Kidd looked intently at the boy beneath him in the bed, wondering what his next step would be, and the boy, in return, gave him a furious look still trying occasionally, to shake him off.

"Are you going to spend all day looking at me or are you going to do something?" asked the exorcist getting pissed by the lack of activity and the look the dragon was giving him.

Because they were enemies, either they are killing one another, or they were thinking of how to do it. However, as he could see, the dragon was only dumbfoundedly checking him out inches from his face, a fact that made him uncomfortable and one that gave him even more unease. At the end the dragon only bowed his head to one side in a feline movement and smirked.

And Law knew he shouldn't have opened his mouth.

"Why do you ask?" suddenly the beast said with amusement and something darker in his eyes "Did you have any problem? Are you uncomfortable with the current situation my dear prisoner?" And to fuck the situation further, Law felt how the redheaded moved over him until he rested between his legs.

And how the dragon thigh suddenly pressed provocatively against his crotch without him being able to do anything about it.

Law gritted his teeth and feigned an innocent smile while in his mind he insulted the dragon in the thousand languages he knew. The beast smiled back at him knowing perfectly what was going through his mind despite the fake smile on his mouth.

"Yes, I have several problems" he answered not wanting the monster to won the non-verbal assault they were having "including your body odor in which I've been choking on. Please, get. Off. Me"he lied viciously with the first thing that came to mind.

Because the truth was that the man above him smelled anything but bad. Moreover, the dragon smelled better than any human Law had ever known, because, in this part of the world, regular baths for hygienic purposes weren't very well understood, but the dragon, on the other hand, had a strange smell he had never faced. It was a mixture of burnt wood and magic that clouded his senses and made his head spin, and all that without mentioning the absurd heat given off his body.

Law, very reluctantly, began to get aroused by all the sensations surrounding him and he started to hate himself because of it. He was an exorcist. A messenger of God, and, as such, he met the vow of chastity without hesitation. Especially if the thing that excited him was a fuking man.

However the dragon above him, not knowing yet what was happening or what was he thinking, just raised an eyebrow at his sarcastic comment about his body odor.

"Well, I didn't know you were so sensitive princess" the dragon began again with the verbal fight not moving an inch at all, and starting to rub his thigh against Law´s crotch insistently, getting him more and more hard by each passing second.

And Law lost it.

"Get the fuck off!" he commanded shouting on the dragon's face.

And, in the instant his scream echoed through the room, he knew he had lost the stupid fight this time. Kidd finally laughed feeling strangely pleased to have won a battle against the intelligent man; the chained part of his mind almost began to purr like an adorable kitten.

"I'm sorry but I can't do that. What guarantees me that you won't try to perforate me again with your knives?" he said smiling happily.

"Oh, I will perforate you I swear" Law said angrily watching how the dragon made no attempt of getting away from him "and I'll dissect you and hang your head on top of my chimney"

Kidd just laughed again feeling as playful as never.

"How romantic, you surely said that to every woman you want to bed"

"No, only to those who manage to piss me off enough"

"Oh, then did I have to consider myself special?"

Law rolled his eyes completely desperate. If he had known he would end like this, he would had remained locked in the dungeon happily. He swore it. Couldn't they have a normal conversation? And why was the dragon still above him?

"What the hell do you want?" he snapped with a tired tone and without knowing what else to do. The beast instead just kept studying him with a curious look, as if Law was the best thing that had happened to him in a long time and he didn't want the moment to end.

But they couldn't go on forever with the playful conversation and they both knew.

"I want to make a deal" Kidd finally said getting suddenly serious but still not taking his golden and intense eyes of his face.

Law frowned, annoyed and increasingly uncomfortable. Although he had stopped moving, Law could still feel the hot leg of the other pressing tightly against the most vulnerable part of his anatomy. A part that had began to grow between them both ways to happily. Law knew he lacked time until the dragon realized what was happening. If he hadn't already noticed it.

"I don't make deals with your kind" Law responded more and more uncomfortable, and not thinking very well what he was saying, but, as he said it, something that gave him creeps flashed in the eyes of the dragon .

" _My kind?"_ Asked the redheaded in Law´s mind as his face came closer to his with all that intensity and seriousness.

Until their separate breaths mixed into one.

This time Law shuddered helplessly and held his breath while, for the first time in a while, he really felt like the succulent prey of a starving monster. This was just too intimate: the other so close, his leg over his growing erection and conversation in his mind. It was something that shouldn't be happening between them. So the tanned boy didn't talk. Either physically or through telepathy. He simply didn't dare to deepen the situation, he didn't dare to do anything that could be misinterpreted as consent on his part.

After a moment of intense glaring and silence, the dragon separated from him just a bit with a look that Law didn't know how to figure out but that seemed a lot like ... disappointment?.

"Perhaps it's time for you to change some habits, Trafalgar Law" the dragon whispered with his breath still caressing his cheek and looking him straight in the eyes with a dark intent.

Suddenly the world moved around him and, before he knew it, Law was again standing on his two feet. Confused but acting on instinct, Law tried to hit the red headed bastard with a kick learned from ancient martial arts, with one of the thousands he had learned to get away. But it was impossible. His body was immobilized again before he could do anything, with a twisted arm on his back and the dragon's hand squeezing his throat and promising blood.

Law stood as still as he was before, knowing that the slightest movement or attempt of escaping would cost him his life.

"Good boy" the dragon murmured against his ear as the fingers on his neck stroked the skin over his racing pulse in a possessive way "Now walk, I have something I want to show you"

Law growled confused and frustrated by the sudden change of attitude from the redhead. Still, he had to start moving when the other shoved him slightly, tightening the grip on his arm painfully. It was hard to walk like that, immobilized and with the asshole glued to his back, and, as they left the room and walked through the halls of black stone, they stumbled several times. In each one, as expected, Law tried to escape and kick the brute hard on his balls, but the dragon wasn't a fool either and, every time that that happened, he twisted Law´s arm until his joints creaked ominously and he had to stop struggling.

Eventually they reached the entrance of the cave and Kidd stopped in the middle of the balcony of stone that overlooked the cliff and in which he used to land as a dragon. He realized his prisoner there, abruptly, so that the boy couldn't attack him by surprise, then, he turned away from him quickly, and raised an arm covering the whole place in a huge gesture.

"This is my lair" he announced proudly "I specifically designed it so that no one could enter and no one could escape"

His prisoner looked at him bored and without a hint of surprise. He had adopted a fighting position and clearly hoped to pounce on him and beat him to a pulp when he dropped his guard just a little bit. Kidd licked his lips unconsciously. He no longer believed the attitude of boredom and indifference the boy faked. He had felt the excitement of the human moments ago, he had seen his pupils dilate and his body react to every move he had made against his tempting body. And it had simply been perfect. A part of him had felt sorry when they had separated, a part of him wanted to have the arrogant boy again under him in that horny state and wanted to give him what the boy's body had demanded Kidd: to fuck him hard and rough.

"The precipice behind you is more than a kilometer high" Kidd began to point out while, at the same time, he tried to control himself and the impulses that wanted the boy pinned down over the closest surface moaning like he know the brown haired boy would "I burned the stone around the cave until it melted into a smooth surface so it couldn't be reached by climbing, in other words, you can only get out of here flying"

And both knew that the human couldn't fly. Their fight in the village would have been very different if he could.

"So what?" asked the man still staring at him with that irritating indifference, but with his pulse beating fast and his pupils still huge.

Kidd growled annoyed by his false attitude, they were just talking for the love of god, why would he get defensive? Why had he always had to show that attitude of disdain and disgust? Why couldn't he simply recognize what had just happened and let Kidd fuck him?

`What the hell am I thinking? _'_ ` Kidd realized scared by his own thoughts.

"If you kill me, you won't be able to leave this place" he finally explained the purpose of all this theatre, deciding to leave his strange thoughts of sex and sins for later and focus now on their conversation. His idea was that the gray eyed boy understood that he needed him in some way, so he could put an end to his attempts of separating his head from his body.

"I don't care" the human replied with boredom, as if the new information didn't change his plans at all "I don't mind to die if I'm able to kill you first with it" he finished with a voice full of hate and drama.

Kidd rolled his eyes, tired and frustrated with the conversation. Why people hated him so much? He hadn't done anything bad, he had just tried to survive for goodness sake. Humans had extinct entire species, he had just killed few people, destroyed a city or two, and eaten some sheep. He couldn´t be as bad as they assure him to be.

Kidd turned to look at his prisoner again, thinking about how to convince him to not kill him. At the end he knew he had no choice: if he wanted to receive, he first had to give. He had said deal after all, it implied both parts wouldn't be completely happy or sad, but it would definitely have a mutual benefit.

"Okay, we'll do this" he started watching the gray-eyed boy on the brink of his precipice "If you promise me that you won't try to kill me again, I won't lock you in the dungeon and you will be free to walk through the cave wherever you want"

The man opened his eyes slightly surprised by this offer and clearly tempted. However, in an instant, he returned to look at him again with that suspicion and distrust Kidd was starting to get accustomed to. The dragon eyed him entertained. Why was it always so funny to talk with this man? Why was that part of his mind still purring whenever he discovered a new expression on those amazing gray eyes?

"How do I know you won't try to kill me at some point? After all, I don't think you brought me here to chat and drink tea"

Kidd helplessly smiled at the boy's comment. No, definitely he hadn't brought him here for a tea, although the part contained in his mind, and excited by the recent events, was beginning to send him ideas of what he could do with the boy, ideas much more ... interesting that the torture he had planned at first.

He mentally slapped himself and forced to focus. Why controlling his mind was getting harder and harder?

"Alright, I won't kill you if you don't kill me" he accepted.

"And you'll leave me free" the man still negotiated as if he had been doing it all his life.

Kidd frowned, he had the feeling that he was losing with the agreement, but he nodded satisfied, he wanted just to get this over with, and go to his room to rest and analyze what the hell had happened to him and his brain. "I won't kill you and I'll let you free" he finally seconded closing the deal.

As suddenly as the word left his mouth the fray eyed boy undid the position of guard he was standing up, and approached him cautiously. Kidd admired his elegant moves eagerly as the boy got closer and closer to him, making the chained part in his head purr as he noted the sudden loss of aggression and hate on the boy movements just getting replaced with curiosity and suspicion.

The boy then stopped in front of him and lifted a hand to close the deal in a universal gesture. The dragon continued to study him curious about the sudden change in attitude from 'I'll kill you slowly and painfully' to 'I can't stand you but this is better than nothing'.

"If you break the agreement I swear I'll torment you for the rest of your life" the boy hissed with his hand still hanging on the air between them as a wry promise.

Kidd smirked. Just smirked. So arrogant and proud were these humans, as if they could really kill him, but he have to recognize that, in this situation, he couldn't expect anything better. A part inside him was jumping for joy when he stroked the boy's hand and felt his long fingers squeezing him in a firm grip, the other part was wondering what the hell he was doing.

"And if you break the deal, brat, I will punish you" Kidd replied to the boy's threat while he leaned towards him to whisper the rough words into his ear.

And, while part of the dragon's mind instantly filled his mind with punishments that implied a bed, handcuffs and the man in front of him with much less clothing, the gray-eyed boy trembled again under the confident look and the strange smile the dragon sent him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, Law with a chastity vow, I know you guys hate me now, but this is gonna be funnier this way, I promise, because, as you can see, Kidd is already having problems with his "enemy" and Law will have to deal with a horny dragon to many times XD


	6. Coexistence

 

The small room was wrapped silence. Absolutely nothing could be heard in the dark place and, therefore was the perfect place to rest and sleep without a thing to distract the mind and nothing to trouble him in the least. Yet Law couldn't sleep, in his mind kept repeating the conversation he had had some time ago with the beast, still trying to understand what had exactly happened.

He had made a deal with the dragon.

With his enemy, with the person he had sworn to kill at the cost of his own life, and the reason he had come to Romania. In other words, he had promised not to kill the person they had ordered him to kill. That was wrong. In too many ways. It was too twisted and it was obvious that he would have to end up betraying someone, the Vatican or the beast. So yeah, he had gotten himself into an impressive problem. Why he had done it in the first place? The dark haired man thought about the problem as he had thought about it for the last few hours and yet he couldn't find a reason in his mind that said that making the deal with the dragon was wrong, he didn't felt that this was wrong.

'I had no choice' The exorcist thought trying to find a rational explanation for making the deal 'it was this or me returning to the jail and returning to the starting point, at least this way I am free and I can do more than hang uselessly from the ceiling'.

He had sworn not to kill the beast, but he had gone to Romania to slay the dragon .

Law growled in frustration turning face up in the fluffy bed that the dragon had given him and covering his face with his hands. What to do? He had sworn not to kill him, but he couldn't simply ignore the order from the Vatican. He could always break the promise and kill the beast. He could always go back to the Vatican and seek clemency for the creature with evidence that the redhead would be a good boy.

And then the frogs would grow hair and pigs would fly through the air with new wings.

'I can only wait' he concluded 'I will wait to see how the situation develops and then ... I will take the decision'. Law turned in the bed again, more relaxed, but still realizing that he wasn't going to sleep that night. Not this way. Frustrated he got out of bed and, tumbling in the dark, he lit a small oil lamp using a quick spell.

He watched again _his_ room. The room was small compared to the others he had seen in the cave, but even so, to Law, it still looked enormous, large enough to accommodate the huge dragon and to be difficult to defend in a battle. Law anyway didn't complain, this little hole in the ground at least was more pleasant than the gloomy dungeon, and definitely, it was more comfortable. The floors, walls and ceilings were covered with dark wood that smelled of wood and mountain forest, there were paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling, cabinets full of fancy clothes and selves with papyri and parchments that Law hadn't waste a moment to analyze. A small bed of thick blankets was pushed against the wall just below a painting of Chinese style that matched with the lanterns, and the floors were covered with carpets of elegant colors that warmed the room.

But what mattered most to Law was the window made of colored glass that opened at one end of the room. It overlooked another impressive cliff he was unable to use for escaping purposes, but that allowed Law to see again the sky full of clouds and the huge valley after several days of imprisonment and dark shadows.

He observed now the window, slightly disappointed by the darkness that didn't allowed him to see anything outside. However Law rose from the bed and took a few turns around the room, bored and not knowing what to do. He could train, it would help him to regain the strength and accuracy he had lost after all this time where his only exercise had been breathing.

But deep down, he knew he wouldn't do it.

If he couldn't sleep, it wasn't only for his internal conflict, but because of the huge curiosity he had always had. It was one of the reasons he had became an exorcist. Exorcists were always encouraged to investigate and to seek for new information, to spy, and, until now, the Vatican hadn't have any problem with him in that specific task.

Now Law realized that he had full and free access to the cave of one of the most legendary creatures in the world. The gray eyed man quickly put himself into a rough wool jersey from the wardrobe, and soon he was leaving the room lighting the way with one of the paper lanterns.

Law knew where the dragon room was as he also knew the position of the dungeon and the flooded room, his mind was beginning to understand the architecture of the place and the directions he needed. So he took the opposite way and walked into the unknown and mysterious part of the mountain, slowly discovering his new home and strange prison.

.

.

.

Kidd grabbed the spatula and turned back the enormous beef sirloin so that it could get cooked on the other side, then, he took the bottle of sweet wine, removed the cap with his mouth, and turned some of its contents into the warming pan on the fire. Immediately the herbs, mushrooms and onions that were also cooking with the sirloin, sizzle and began to bubble into the dark sauce. An intense sweet smell spread then through the room and Kidd's senses sharpened trying to capture the delicious fragrance.

Normally cooking relaxed him. He didn't do it very often because, as a dragon, he could just hunt his prey and eat them in one bite without even cooking. Cooking was nice and things tasted better, true, but sometimes it simply required too much time and sometimes he didn't have enough patience. However, this time, Kidd had a guest and he doubted that the picky human would be fine having row cow bites.

So yeah, he was cooking, and he was seeing one of the tasks he so much adored, becoming a real torture thanks to the stupid human.

They were in the dining room of the cave, a large space with high ceilings and arcs made of wood where strings of garlic, onions and other vegetables and herbs that were used to cook in different cultures, were hanging and drying. There were more closets full of food, from rye bread and eggs, to milk and green shiny apples that Kidd had stolen that morning. There were also wrought iron pots and gleaming silverware that contrasted with the scarlet tablecloths, a water source gushing from the dark rock giving them cold and fresh water, and the huge fireplace that allowed Kidd to cook the whole damn cow in it.

Kidd again shifted the weight on his feet trying to relax while the sirloin took a golden color. It didn't help. The metallic stare of the human was digging into his neck and Kidd could practically feel, pounding against his skin, the waves of displeasure the guy gave off from where he was sitting in front of the huge oak table in the middle of the room. Kidd sighed and scratched his neck trying to pretend that the uncomfortable silence filled with tension wasn't taking him to the limit of his patience.

Finally the food was cooked and Kidd turned to face his lovely guest with the pan in his hand. He still didn't understand what had driven him to made the deal, he didn't want to think about it as it would surely be attributed to the part of his mind that was still dancing to the fact that he would be living with the human. Stupid mind.

He growled irritated with himself and exchanged a look with the sulking human. The boy gave him another hateful look and Kidd raised an ironic eyebrow wondering if he should really feed the ungrateful human. What was his mental health for having done that deal with such an individual? couldn't he have done it with a young virgin blonde with big breasts?, no, it had to be with the bitter murderer.

"Would you stop looking at me like that? I'm doing the cooking, you could be at least a bit grateful" he said starting to get mad for no reason.

"No one asked you to do it" the boy softly answered obediently looking away.

Kidd returned to question whether to feed him or not. This time thinking about it seriously. However, when he put the pan on the table, he watched in amusement as the boy's eyes never left the juicy pieces of meat. Now that Kidd thought about it, he had been starving the boy because he didn't answered the questions as Kidd wanted. Although, of course, it was the stubborn human fault, Kidd had nothing to do with it.

Taking a knife the redhead took the piece of meat and cut it in half easily. Then, the two portions were served on two plates with the brown sauce and vegetables and Kidd handed one to sulking boy. The human almost teared it from his hands and started swallowing the food as if he had been months without a piece of bread.

Kidd observed the human eat slightly fascinated with his eagerness and forgetting about his own food. When the slim boy finished his plate, Kidd handled him his own without worrying in the least to skip a meal. After all, the sirloin had came from the cow, a cow that had much more meat than the little steak, and that Kidd wasn't going stupidly to throw away. Kidd had eaten long ago. Now he was just rather cooking for the human.

The red dragon leaned back in his leather chair watching the human eat entertained. The boy was eating heartily, without the least education, getting his face and hands dirty with the sauce and licking his lips without missing even the slightest drop. Kidd thoughts again drifted to how good would that mouth look closing around his cock, but he looked away frustrated, forcing himself to focus on something else. Why God is that he couldn't even eat without his thought degenerating? In any case, the situation remained quiet while the boy ate, or at least until Law reopened his mouth.

"Well, where do you hide your treasure?" asked the boy wiping his mouth with a red napkin, talking slowly as if he was talking about the weather.

And only, with one question, all the hopes of a civilized conversation with the boy Kidd could had have, evaporated. Instinct took control of his mind. The treasure was his. No one would see it, no one would knew it or talk about it. Nobody-asked-about-his-treasure. His body tensed, the fire behind him in the fireplace glowed and the room seemed to darken considerably. Kidd looked at the dark haired boy and his golden eyes shining with rage in the dark.

"It's none of your concern, human" he hissed through clenched teeth, getting a grip at the last moment before doing something he would regret.

But the man just looked at him with shining eyes and smile on his face, as if he had been waiting for the confrontation. Fuck

"Oh, come on, they are only a handful of coins, why don't you show me? I'm curious to see how the famous treasure of a dragon is. But with a owner like you I have to say I'm a bit afraid of what will I find" he said provoking him further.

Kidd knew what the young human was trying to do. If he broke the pact, the human would not need to follow it too. Both of them would fight, and although Kidd could easily win, the fact of breaking a promise would be a huge burden for him. _Dragons didn't break promises_. It was their honor, their words, and to do the unthinkable would surely do a big harm to him. And that was exactly what the boy wanted. He knew he was acting as a small child and it would be humiliating if he exploded and got angry as the slim boy wanted.

He knew and he didn't care.

"It's in the cave, right? Somewhere in the deeper parts" the boy continued with a mocking smile "then don't worry, I won't need you to show it to me, I'll find it eventually and ..."

Rising from his chair, Kidd roared in the sudden darkness until the entire room shook dangerously. Doubt and a slight surprise crossed the boy's eyes but the dragon didn't care. The human had crossed a fine line that shouldn't have been crossed. A line that screamed danger from miles away. The gray eyed man had criticized and talked about something he shouldn't have even know.

" It's-not-your-business" he repeated while the flames on his back grew to burn the air around him until he looked like a demon out from hell. This time the dragon could perfectly see the alarm in the human eyes "Bring this up again and you will die" And his words sounded so absolute that it was almost like a prophecy.

When Kidd left the kitchen a minute after with a loud bang, the smell of smoke and burning things filled the air alone the sound of the accelerated heart of the boy. Kidd ignored everything. He had managed to hold back in the last moment before ending the life of the tanned boy. He had kept the deal. But now he no longer needed the self-control, so he exploded and, roaring, he turned into the dragon form and jumped out of the cave decided to fly to exhaustion.

Maybe he should also make a visit to the stupid town.

.

.

.

When Kidd returned to his lair, it was getting dark outside and the cloudy valley fog was nearly at the entrance of his high cave. In the distance the bell tower of the village church was on fire again and ready to collapse while cries and screams filled the air. Kidd fell with a soft thud into the balcony of the cave, and, without stopping his advance, became its human version and entered inside the cave.

His mind was clear and calm again as the dark starless sky where he had been flying a minute ago. He had convinced himself that he could control his temper, that he wasn't going to explode if the other brought the treasure topic again, and that he could stand all this. He was intelligent and he controlled his obsessions, and at the current moment things were going just fine and he was feeling calm and composed. But he didn't know how the possessive part of his mind would react if he saw the suicidal human again.

Thankfully the guy wasn't in any of the main chambers and Kidd didn't have to deal with him while bathing, dressing and eating something in the kitchen. He knew the boy was in the cave, his constant presence always felt as a burning iron pressed against his skin, something that shouldn't be there. This time the boy was in one of the old rooms he never used doing only god knew what, but still Kidd ignored him, he would not talk to him, he was still angry about the stupid fight they have had and he hadn't forgiven him completely. So he trained, he read books, he visited his treasure, refilled food shelves and everything went well and peacefully.

Until he was left with nothing else to do.

Confused Kidd sat in the seat of wolf fur in his room starting to get irritated again. Where was the boy? Why hadn't he left the filthy room he was in? So much had he scared him? Kidd realized, incredulous, that he wanted to see the man of gray eyes again and that he wanted the boy's attention on him. It was fuking stupid and pointless and he didn't understand it at all, but still, the stupid feeling made him get up and go through the cave to where he felt the human was.

The room he found was one that he hadn't been used very often, it normally happened with several of the rooms in his enormous cavern, there were too many to use all of them. Technically, this one was a training room in Japanese style, but Kidd used to train in another room much closer and broader than this one where he could easily transform into a dragon so it had been left abandoned. It was a small room, it had natural light seeping from one of the sliding windows and soft mats on the floor imitating one of the famous Japanese dojos with the wood panels covering the walls. It had papers with Japanese writings hanging elegantly, and supporters for bamboo katanas, nunchakus and other weapons from the Asian culture.

Kidd stopped at the closed door and peered through the open sliding door of wood to see what was taking the human so long and froze.

The tanned boy was standing in the middle of the room practicing what would be movements of martial arts. The strange evening light streamed through the window behind the man lighting the dust suspended in the air enveloping the human in a halo of bright sparks, when he moved on the tatami he also lifted the accumulated dust after years of disuse, and, at the end, he seemed to elegantly dance around magic clouds of bright air.

But that was not what left the dragon with an open mouth, what left him unable to look away from the scene before him, was the dark haired boy itself. The man with strange gray eyes, had taken his shirt off and was practicing the complicated movements of a fight with the black trousers as his only clothe, and, after several hours locked there training, with his body covered in sweat and his tanned skin giving off golden reflections in the sunlight.

Kidd watched him not daring to breathe and stop the perfect moment. The boy turned again his hips and kicked the air as his arms cut the air and seconds later he adopted a defensive position with an open hand. And all that with a grace and speed that would be the envy of any man, but that talked to the dragon about years and years of practice and perseverance. Kidd stared at the body of the human intensely, reveling in every curve and muscle of soft and tanned skin and following the strange dark lines of the tattoos on his chest, back and arms that seemed like black flames licking his body.

The boy then turned again with his hip, and give another high kick in the air with an amazing agility and flexibility. Kidd panted with an accelerated breath suddenly thinking of other ways to use those impressive skills of the boy on a bed, on how to give a good use of that impressive flexibility and speed.

The boy continued moving, this time, he gave the dragon his back.

Kidd fell into his knees noticing the painful erection pressing into his tight pants and asking for attention. His eyes roamed at the back and shoulders covered on strong and smart muscles until he get to the butt of the boy. _His perfect and beautiful butt._

Kidd looked away from the boy forcing himself to contain the possessive growl that rose in his throat. God, how would the proud human look completely naked? How that dark skin would feel under his hands? How would feel to lick it?

He dug his nails into his palms panting heavily. He had to get out of there. Now. If he stayed up watching the boy fight the air, he would just come in the place. And that should never happen. They were enemies and he had to torture him. That had been his target from the start, and yet, there he was now, with his enemy walking freely around his house, and he, the great dragon kneeling on the floor with his dick harder than ever and his mind sending him dirty pictures and thoughts completely out of control.

But the worst thing was that he felt no regret or discomfort at the situation he was in, quite the opposite, he liked everything. The anger and desire for revenge had disappeared and been substituted for that stupid desire. It was just too wrong. He had to go back to normal, he had to go back and remember the anger and frustration. He had to take revenge on the man.

Rubbing his erection trying to reduce the pain and fire that filled him, he held a last needy groan in the throat and rose from the ground ready to get out of there as soon as possible.

However, before leaving, he gave one last look at the boy on the room. And he had to restrain himself not to fall into his knees again panting between desperate breaths, when he found the brown haired boy removing the sweat from his mouth with the back of his hand in a movement too suggestive, and with that look of concentration on his face that gave him too many ideas.

Kidd swallowed and practically ran to the pool to jump into the icy water to remove that image of his head.

.

.

.

The night was cold and dark, but for the first time since Law had come into that part of the world, the clouds were gone and the moon shone brightly and proud in the sky. Law stared at the black sky remembering in his mind the names of the constellations and trying to take his mind off other less pleasant topics.

Despite the beauty around him, the night was still friggin cold, the wind blew even more on top of the cliff at that height and Law found himself trembling slightly. The exorcist was at the entrance of the cave, in the huge balcony that looked out to the world and let him see all the valley below. His arms were crossed and his legs were slightly open like a soldier watching everything around him seriously.

The wind blew again but Law met it thanking the cape of white fox fur that he had decided to wear after taking a bath. But remembering the cape brought back again the regrets and the questions. Taking that specific cloth was something that, as an exorcist, he shouldn't have done. The exorcists wore simple and practical clothes that enable them to fight easily, not extravagant and comfortable things like the cape of white fur that Law was carrying at the moment. Exorcists weren't controlled by whims and desires, they followed the code.

Yet Law had see the coat in the closet of the room, he had stroked the soft thick and gray fur of the fox, and he hasn't been able to resist. The cape had tempted every sense he had. When Law had put the coat on it had feeling nice against his skin, it had kept the warmth of his body and it had been simply perfect.

Now, however, watching the night sky, Law wondered why he had done it. Why he had disobey the code? Why he was lowering his guard despite being in the den of the enemy? The flaws on his behavior were starting to accumulate until a disturbing level.

Law had always given himself some freedom unlike the other exorcists, he had always questioned the code and it hadn't been difficult for him to get away from it when he had wanted. He was intelligent. For him, the code wasn't absolute, necessary and sacred as it was for the rest, he wasn't a fanatic, the code was just something he had to fulfill if he didn't want to face the punishment for disobedience. And he had disobeyed. But it had never been anything serious, sometimes people didn't even notice what he had done.

But it had never reached this level.

Law knew what that meant. It had happened before to other people, three times to be exact. He was losing _focus, a_ nd when some exorcist lose it, when one approached the edge and began to question the code and disobeying, he ceased to be useful. And then he just have to wait for his death as the three people before him who had served as an example for the whole organization of exorcists.

They were tools for the Vatican. They must obey without questioning anything. It was that simple. Nothing more. If you couldn't do it you better were dead.

Some steps were heard behind him and Law tensed getting out of his dark thoughts quickly. Yet he continued to stare at the sky without even sharing a look at the dragon behind him, he didn't know how to react after what had happened that morning. He had spent all afternoon training and trying to get rid of the feeling of doubt and panic that had caused the discussion with the redhead, the feeling of fear that he hadn't felt since he was a little kid. It had worked, at least until a certain time.

"Why were you spying on me while I was training?" the exorcist asked the man right behind him.

He knew that this position, giving the dragon his back, was a disadvantage. He couldn't see or predict the movements of the redhead, while the beast could attack him with complete freedom and hurt him seriously. But Law still didn't move, one more time on this day, Law disobeyed the code. The dragon got closer to him until Law could almost feel his back against the beast strong chest.

"Why do you care about what I do?" the redhead murmured defensively against Law's neck.

Law forced himself not to tremble. "I don't like people to spy on me, don't do it again" he ordered with anger resurfacing in his mind despite the situation. Why couldn't the redhead just apologize? Why he had to be so arrogant?

"Or what? Are you going to kill me?" Kidd said with annoyance in his voice, separating from him and remembering Law the relationship they had "this is my home and my lair, I do what I want" he remembered him in a tense tone, as if he couldn't understand why Law was throwing him that in the face.

That was absurd, it was Law the one who should be offended. "What were you doing spying me?" he repeated angry and clenching his fists against his folded arms. Now he was decided to find it out.

"You don't need to know" the beast answered again teasingly.

Law gritted his teeth. "Yes I do, you asshole. It's my life and I don't want you to get into it" Law hissed through clenched teeth.

"Why? Is there something you're trying to hide" the redhead suddenly asked in his ear again. With that soft and suggestive tone. Law didn't answer. He didn't want or should answer, the anger in his voice would reveal he has lying, the truth was too obvious. "I repeat" the redhead said with that low and rough tone that made the hairs on his neck rise "this is my lair and I do whatever I want"

And to emphasize his words, Law could feel the big and skillful hand of the dragon squeezing his buttlock firmly between his strong fingers. When had he gotten there? Law jumped and tensed surprised, feeling his face redden while the other keep squeezing his buttocks possessively, trying to make his words and what he was doing crystal clear.

And then, to screw it further, the dragon gave him a strong slap in the ass.

Law instantly turned with rage on his veins and a fist in the air ready to break the face and every bone of the dragon. How dare mother fucker? Something so degenerating as if he were a damn whore. Blood was going to be spilled. Rivers of blood. But when he turned and faced the cave and his enemy, behind him was no one. The dragon was gone and in its place a powerful and happy laughter filled the air.

"Son of a bitch" Law whispered still feeling his face burn.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kidd's such a good boy, cooking for Law, caring about his physical health…while Law, on the other hand…my poor Kidd, he's going to end without his head.
> 
> However I want to clear something in the fic about the treasure fight they have had: Kidd is a dragon, he's smart and rational, he had lived for millennia and the knows about civic behavior, but he's still the greatest predator of the world, a big rational animal, and he still is controlled by his instinct. That's what happened with the treasure thing, he knows it's stupid to get angry about it and to get obsessed with it, but he just can't help it.
> 
> Well, I hope you liked the story, see you people.


	7. Reality

 

The old dragon walked again on his room repeating the same path he had been doing for a while. He went to the wall where the bed with red sheets and nacre headboard was, stopped, turned, and returned to the beginning. He would go to the bed then, and return to the wall, and keep going around and around the room as his mind keep turning and turning over the same subject.

Why wasn't he able to control himself? Why all the plans he had drew went to hell when he just saw the boy? Why couldn't he torture the human as he had initially wanted? No, his mind had to play against him and he had to end slapping that perfect ass.

Fucking shit.

He had never felt so frustrated and angry with himself, it had never cost him so much to regain control and he had never had such an internal conflict. So why now? Why with this enemy?

Kidd turned to pace the room again feeling trapped in the huge place. He needed to get out, he needed to think this thoughtfully while flying. Yes, flying always helped him clear his mind, it always reassured him one way or another. Without thinking or worrying about it too much, Kidd left the room almost breaking the door in his search for freedom, and headed for the exit.

It was dark outside and the stars were shining between the clouds as they had been a few moments ago when he had been arguing with the boy. On the balcony the wind ruffled Kidd's red hair, and he couldn't help stopping in the middle of the place and breathe in the fresh air until he felt his body relax and get back to normal with the calm of the night around him.

When he felt at ease, he then transformed.

The red fire licked his body and his limbs changed shape until they become huge dangerous claws, his skin got covered with shiny ruby scales and large wings emerged from his back. Kidd closed his eyes. The change was always the same, it didn't hurt but it wasn't pleasant either. He felt his bones enlarge, his skin stretch and his body start to grow up and grow up until his head almost touched the ceiling of the cave. It was as if he was stretching after a long time, and it was as if his perception of the world suddenly changed. The smells were deeper and the night and the sounds were clearer, but the blood lust also resurfaced, the craving for power and the obsession to dominate and control.

The dragon stretched slightly getting used to his new body and how his emotions changed with it. The confusion was still there, but this time accompanied by a slight discomfort and irritation. He needed to think and he needed to do it now.

Kidd beat his wings strongly, gained impulse, and jumped into the air with a powerful roar.

The cold night welcomed him with open arms and, effortlessly, he flew into the air with the help of the strong wind currents. He rose then over clouds higher and higher until he felt his scales covered with a layer of ice from the frozen air around him. The world seemed so small and insignificant from that place. The moon looked high and huge in the dark sky.

Kidd closed his eyes and stopped flying letting gravity push him down again until he began to fall back. He then fell into the void, into nothingness, feeling his body weightless and light during the long time it took him to fall from over the clouds. And then, before he broke his face with the hard ground, in the last moment, he spread his wings in time just to dodge the blow that would kill him for sure.

Yeah, he loved to fly.

In the sky no one bothered him, he could do whatever he wanted and just be free to think about his problems. Problems that this time were kind of huge and new for him. Kidd slipped back into his mind while flying over a forest of tall and spooky pines, and faced the two sides in his mind: the one that was still asking for the boy's blood and the other repressed part which rather wanted to kneel in front of the boy and ask him to let Kidd fuck him.

Kidd sighted, but he couldn't deny it anymore, so, alone in the dark sky, Kidd allowed himself to release the oppressed part and carefully he begun to analyze the feelings and desires that Law awoke in him.

And, with all the cards on the table in front of him, he could no longer ignore it.

As much as it pissed him of, the brown haired boy was sex on legs. From the first moment he had saw his silver eyes in the fire of the village, Kidd had known that the man would become a big problem for him, but Kidd hadn't expected it to end like this. The little fascination from the first meeting was becoming an obsession and a pretty big problem because, as he had seen, Kidd was unable to control himself with the boy.

He liked the man, at least physically, with his brown silken skin and that _perfect_ ass Kidd still remembered from a moment ago. The tension between them was obvious and, curiously, the dragon was liking it. Also the fantasies about the human in his bed did nothing but multiply in Kidd's mind and he had already woken up several mornings with an annoying erection between his legs and a need to fuck the man in his cave.

'But it's only that? Did you like him only physically?' asked the recently released part of his mind.

The dragon returned to analyze his behavior around the boy and what had happened in last few days, and he found himself answering "No". It wasn't only a physical attraction, he liked how the human didn't run scared for him as many humans did, he liked how the boy dared to contradict and challenge him, he liked his sarcastic speeches and every little expression Kidd managed to get out of him.

The dragon rose again in the air and watched the landscape at his feet like discovering a new perspective of the ancient valley.

Did he like the human? Was he in love? In love with the human who had tried to kill him? The logic answer after the analysis was yes, but Kidd didn't accept it. It was just ridiculous. Was he a masochist? He had never being in love. And a human? A dragon and a human? It was just impossible. The idea was so strange and absurd that Kidd refused it without hesitation. But then he thought about it again. And reanalyzed his absurd behavior in the recent days: the possessive instinct that had emerged within him with the boy, how he wanted to see the other and talk to him even though he usually preferred solitude, and that stupid desire he had for the boy that was driving him nuts.

Kidd sighed and flew getting among the few clouds that were still under the sky full of stars. It was a different flight this time, slower and calmer and very different from the aggressive and needy one he had been doing before. As if he was reaching a final conclusion.

Kidd sighed knowing that it didn't matter how much he wanted to reject his feelings, he didn't have a choice now. He had tried to find something that helped him refuse the idea, something that told him that he was wrong and that the feelings would stop if he decapitated the man. But he hadn't found anything, he had to accept the inevitable.

'I like my enemy.'

And with those words and the acceptance of the truth, his mind returned to be one and the peace and quiet returned to his head.

.

.

.

Law couldn't sleep that night. He hadn't been able to avoid mulling over what had happened during the day. First the fight and then the slap on his back. Was the dragon mad? Bipolar? What the hell was happening? Law didn't understand the dragon and it was the first person in the world that Law couldn't understand. Which drove him mad. How could he change from hate to ... to what? Why the hell had the redhead slapped his butt?

As much as he had tried, he couldn't forget about it, the other's hand possessively gripping his ass, and that commanding voice in his ear. He had been hours without sleep and, at the end, he had gone for a walk trying to calm himself.

And then he had seen it.

Kidd had reached the balcony like a storm. Law had been surprised when the dragon didn't even noticed him standing there, but even so, Law hadn't had much time to try to take advantage of the situation when the other suddenly transformed and the huge red dragon appeared in front of him for the second time.

Law had been unable to think of anything else then. The dragons had always been the fascination of the mankind, a mythical creature that was even smarter than the human race and much more dangerous. The children dreamed with them, many searched the great dragons for their wisdom after centuries of existence and others just charmed for their legends.

Law himself had also dreamed of searching them. At least before becoming an exorcist, after that he had only studied how to kill them and had been brainwashed with how evil and dangerous those creatures were. Law had been small and had needed to survive, so he had had swallow his thoughts and had repeat and repeat the lessons of the church until at the end he had ended up believing them. But now that he had the amazing creature in front of him and he didn't need to kill it in the next few seconds, he began again to question his education.

The dragon was impressive. The legends he had heard didn't do him justice. It was huge, so huge that his body didn't even fit into the large balcony. He also had huge claws that scratched the floor and looked so sharp that they could for sure split rocks like butter. However, despite its size and power, it was still an elegant creature, with the long curved neck topped with a line of huge spikes along his column that ended in the long tale that was swinging in the air like a deathly whip.

Law's attention got caught on how bright was the red color of the scales that covered his body as it seemed to glow as red jaspers under the light of the moon. He had never seen such a pure and deep red. It was just too beautiful. Law found himself opening his eyes stunned and unable to look away from the incredible dragon. It was the most terrifying and beautiful creature he had ever seen. It was the perfect stereotype of a dragon, the perfection of his race. The king of dragons.

It was then when Kidd opened his huge wings raising currents of air in the room, and jumped into the air roaring strongly and making Law shiver with the power of sound. However the exorcist, without realizing what he was doing, started walking following the beast until he reached the edge of the cliff. Law looked after the dragon flying in the air until he disappeared into the clouds. He watched him fall, and save the fall before crashing with the ground in the last minute. He watched him fly and fly as if he was part of the very air.

After a moment Law turned and walked away from the scene with a fast heartbeat and rapid breathing. His body shivered in the cold night air he hadn't noticed as he had been too fascinated with the creature. But he didn't care. He didn't know why, but this moment was imprinted in his mind as if he had seen something he should cherish forever.

Freedom.

The other was the absolute definition of freedom. Doing whatever he wanted, challenging the rules of nature and simply enjoying the moment. It was the completely opposite of him. It was everything he wanted and could never have. It was just perfect. For a moment Law wondered how was he supposed to kill something like that. For a moment Law questioned all his life.

When he get back into his room and into his bed between warm and fluffy blankets, Law felt more relaxed. He was still confused by what he had seen, but he was definitely appeased. This time it didn't take him too much to fall asleep, and he quickly fell into a deep dream he hadn't had in years. It wasn't his typical dream where he had to obey macabre orders or fear punishment for his disobedience, no, it was a dream in which he just flew free in a sky plagued by clouds.

.

.

.

The next morning Kidd paced in the cave with firm and decisive steps. His mind was cleared now and he was feeling much better, more alive and with a new goal in life. The dragon wanted the little human, and the dragon always got what he wanted. So it was time for him to start attacking and convincing the gray-eyed boy that sleeping with your worst enemy wasn't too bad.

Yes, it still sounded as bad as it seemed, no matter how much times he repeated it.

Kidd knew he could force the issue if he wanted, he had the strength and power to rape the tanned boy like the monster people believed him to be. But that didn't convince him at all and it wouldn't bring him any satisfaction, after all he wasn't only physically attracted to the boy, he wanted more than just sex.

Even so, if he wanted to go somewhere with the little human, he had to start making a move and he had to make the boy realize what he wanted. The sooner the better. So, without thinking about it too much, Kidd walked to the flooded room where he could feel that the man was taking a bath after training all morning. He didn't even asked if he could go in when he arrived, he just walked into the room as if it was the most normal thing to do.

"I need to talk to you" he commented as he stood on the edge of the pool with his legs slightly open and his arms folded in a resolute pose.

The naked boy in the water, giving Kidd his muscled back, froze. The dragon stared at him intently studying the tattoos on his back and arms, and envying every drop of water that ran down his soft skin and into the water that reached his waist. Kidd again tied to be quiet and tried not to jump at the boy when he started to turn slowly giving him a murderous glare. His hair was tousled in every direction and his face was slightly flushed from the exercise he had been doing which made Kidd's mind instantly imagine that very face in a much more intimate and pleasant situation.

"Can't you wait for another time?" asked the boy without fully turning to face him.

Kidd just smiled at his obvious reaction of disgust. He had intended to start attacking, and for his blue balls he would. "No, it has to be now"

The man growled in frustration and returned to give him his back while he rubbed his arm trying to keep warm in the freezing water. The exorcist could endure the cold for a while, but now that the dragon had come, who knows how much time he would be there. Kidd, however, noticed the gesture and, before being aware of what he was doing, his power flared in his mind and the water began to steam in the cave.

Protecting him unconsciously.

"Thank you" murmured the boy swimming a bit away from him feeling uncomfortable with the kind gesture.

"It was nothing" replied the dragon feeling slightly happy and proud of himself "Call me every time you want to bathe, I will warm the water and everything else you want" he said in a little indirect.

The boy returned to look at him with a surprise and a strange look, as if he were questioning his intelligence, but as quickly, he was giving Kidd his back again as he rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, whatever" he said ignoring the indirect "you wanted to talk" he remembered the dragon.

And then Kidd went blank. Shit. His plan had been to start a conversation and provoke the other, sadly he hadn't thought about the conversation topic.

"Well ... you said you were from the Vatican and that you came here to kill me, was the Vatican the one who sent you here?"Kidd asked at the end with one of the questions that had been haunting his mind since the human's interrogation.

And with a simple question Kidd could see perfectly how the human tensed and stood still in the middle of the steaming water.

"Maybe" Law answered with caution.

Kidd cocked his head suddenly curious. Really? Did someone in the Vatican wanted to kill him? Why? Kidd had only asked the first question that had come to his mind, he hadn't really expected to get information.

"Who wants to kill me?" he asked again, attentive to the new conversation topic.

The other however remained tense." None of your business"

Kidd snorted frustrated. He hated when he didn't know something, especially something of that importance. Earlier he had been torturing the boy to get the answers but now he doubted he could do it. He had missed his opportunity and clearly it was going to cost him it's price.

"Yes, I'm interested" he replied with anger again surfacing his voice " Are you stupid? I want to know who wants to kill me"

The other boy just turned completely to face him and looked at the great dragon with a frown and a cruel look. Okay, maybe Kidd shouldn't have insulted the proud human.

" _I_ want to kill you" the boy said in an absolute murderous tone.

But Kidd didn't pay him too much attention. At last they were face to face, and again Kidd was getting distracted with the boy's body. Although the steam from the water hided the sight, the dragon wasn't disappointed with what lay ahead, he little human really was tempting, but with him naked in the middle of the water he just looked too very edible.

Still, the fantastic view was overshadowed by the harsh words from the tanned man. Before, when Kidd hadn't recognized what he felt, he hadn't care about what the other thought of him, but now that he was determined to conquer him, it hurt a little. Okay, it hurt a lot, but still he wasn't going to let the other man know.

"Oh, come on, tell me, you're not going to die for giving me a bit of information" he finally said rolling his eyes and trying to hide his pain.

The boy however continued to stare at him with an angry look. "And you're not going to die for telling me where your treasure is"

And suddenly it was Kidd's turn to be enraged His treasure. Hadn't the human learned anything from the last time he had mentioned it? That was a topic he didn't want to talk about. The dragon felt the blinding rage, he felt the possessiveness and obsession for his treasure seize him.. But this time he controlled it.

He didn't want to rip the little human, he wanted to put him in his bed. He was a rational creature, he wouldn't let his emotions control him, no matter how much the boy knew of his weakness and knew how to take advantage of them. The dragon breathed deeply and forced his instinct to calm down.

He looked at the boy in front of him. He had an expectant look on his gray eyes, as if waiting for him to explode in a rage attack and stomp out of the room like a little boy. But he wasn't going to do it. If the boy wanted to play dirty he would also have his fun.

Tilting his head to one side, Kidd faked an innocent smile that caused the boy to immediately look at him suspicious.

"Do you mind if I take a bath with you?" The redhead asked sweetly.

And just like that the boy paled. Kidd held in his mouth a vengeful laugh as the boy unconscious stepped back in the water with panic written all over his face. God, that image will be saved in his mind for his personal enjoyment.

"Yes, I care" said the brown haired boy at the end, knowing however that what was going to happen was inevitable. Because it was. The redhead just shrugged with a dark smirk.

"Well, it's a pity that this is _my_ lair and I don't give a fuck about _your_ opinion" the dragon answered as a matter of fact.

The tanned boy pursed his lips into a thin line and Kidd swore that he could almost hear him grinding his teeth. But he didn't care, his goal was to hunt the boy and that was what he was going to do.

Without thinking too much he grabbed the edge of the black shirt he was wearing and pulled it off over his head in one fluid motion.

And then something very interesting happened. The human suddenly opened his eyes in surprise and the dragon had to contain his smirk when the boy ran his gaze through him from head to toe, pausing for a long minute in his bare chest.

Kidd knew the impression he gave, with his hard muscles and his chest riddled with scars from old battles. He had been the fantasy of many. His human appearance was quite attractive, and the old creature knew it and hadn't hesitated to use it in the past. The dragon had lost count of the women he had managed to get into his bed only by walking past them, but he had never felt so pleased with himself as he was feeling now, with _his_ little human devouring his body with his gray gaze.

However Kidd pretended he hadn't seen anything and continued undressing: shoes, weapons, and other items he had until he was only left with his pants on. The human wasn't taking his eyes off him and was completely motionless and breathing heavily. The redhead unconsciously licked his lips and finally his hands reached the bottoms of his pants savoring the triumph of the hunt.

The boy looked at his hands unbuttoning his pants, his eyes too focused on what he was doing and looking a bit too dark. Kidd couldn't help but smile when Law took a slight step toward him in the water with a strong flush in his face. The second button came out and Kidd just needed to get his pants off, but then, when his hands got to the cloth on his thighs and pulled it down sharply, the human turned around growling in frustration.

Kidd held his laugh and walked to the water completely naked now. The boy was leaning against the opposite wall, was breathing heavily, and it looked as if he was trying to control himself.

The dragon got into the hot water and the boy tensed visibly. Kidd ignored him, plunged into the steaming liquid and swam in the tense silence of the room to where the brown haired boy was without making the slightest noise. Watching the other as a tiger hunting a little rabbit, watching every reaction and movement and acting accordingly to it. In the end he came to where the human was and stood behind him, so close that he practically touched his back with his chest.

It would be too easy to touch him now, to discover how that skin would feel against his own one or if it would be as smooth as it looked. He would finally find out if his own pale color would look fine against the tanned and tattooed one and he would be able to observe the reactions of his little human when he touched him. But at the end Kidd didn't do it. He wanted the other to desire and beg for him as much as Kidd wanted to beg for him to let him just touch his skin. He wanted the human there with him. It wouldn't feel satisfactory in other way.

So he waited, and waited until the little human turned around not knowing he was behind.

The exorcist jumped in fright and swore in an strange language when he saw him. Kidd however didn't let him have the slightest chance and quickly raised his hands to the wall behind the boy caging him between his body and the wall. The brown haired boy looked away with a slight blush beginning to appear on his cheeks and a disgust grimace appearing on his face.

He looked everywhere but at the dragon's body in front of him.

Now that they were so close Kidd could hear Law's rapid heartbeats, he could taste the softs gasps escaping his mouth between those luscious lips and could see without difficulty every curve and line of the human body. So tempting and inviting. Kidd inched even closer to that perfect body until his head was placed in the curve of the tanned boy neck.

And then he froze.

The gray eyed boy before him closed his tortured eyes and bowed his head trying to escape from him and what he was doing. Kidd frowned annoyed at the gesture of refusal, but his attention was still focused on the exquisite neck in front of him, and in the end he didn't give the gesture too much attention.

The boy smelled so good. Like hidden secrets and ancient magic, and, at that distance, his caramel skin was just begging him to taste it, and it would be so easy to bite and mark it now. Suddenly, the possessive instinct in Kidd's mind resurfaced, eager as ever, but this time instead of being directed to his stunning treasure, it was directed to something else.

Kidd wanted to bite the arrogant human. He wanted to leave a mark on his perfect skin to show everyone that no one could touch him or make the slightest damage to him or they would have to deal with the largest predator in the world. He wanted to let everyone know who this man belonged to. _His and his alone._ But above all he wanted the man to be the one who begged for it, it was Law the one who has to ask him to mark him for all to see, the one who had to let him protect him and take care of him for the rest of his life.

Kidd struggled with himself for a moment. Was he going to bite the human or was he waiting for the other to request it? Why had that instinct suddenly emerged in him?

But before he could do anything, the other twisted in his cage and tried to slip through his arms without touching them at all.

"I-I'm getting out of here" He said without looking at him and obviously uncomfortable with all the situation.

Kidd growled angrily. He wasn't going to let him go, he hadn't made his decision yet and he didn't want the moment to end without having made clear his intention. So, ignoring the desire to escape in the other's eyes, he got closer to him, cornering him even more against the wall, but without touching him yet. Just tempting him with the idea of what might happen.

And then, whispering in his ear with a deep possessive voice, he asked "Why? Any problem? Somewhere to be?" He said letting his lips finally caress the tanned ear.

The little human instantly shook in his arms, letting out a sight and biting his tender lips nervously but frowning even more. No one had resisted his charms so much as this little human and it slightly irritated the dragon. Normally, people at that stage of the foreplay had already thrown his arms around him and were begging him to fuck them. Kidd was frustrated, yet he was enjoying having to work for what he wanted, it was quite challenging and kind of fun.

However, his plans weren't going as he had planned and he knew it. He could never predict anything with this man, Law was always able to surprise him with something new, and, this time wasn't any different. With a face of despair Law suddenly put his hands on his pectorals and pushed him, hard, until Kidd was thrown back several meters and water droplets splashed everywhere.

When Kidd got to his feet again and looked around, the boy was out of water and a towel was quickly wrapped around his waist.

"I hate you" the boy said looking at him angry and disgusted, and picking up his clothes quickly.

Kidd in turn raised a sarcastic eyebrow and then looked down at the boy's crotch where an obvious erection could be seen through the towel. Then he looked into the eyes of the boy with an eloquent look.

"Yeah, I can see that" he said wryly.

At this the boy instantly blushed deeply. Then he grabbed what was closest to him, which happen to be the clothes that Kidd had taken off before, and, without even looking at the dragon in the water, he tossed them to his face like an hysterical woman.

Kidd couldn't contain the proud and satisfied smile on his face when Law got out of the room almost running. It was true that it was the first time that someone had rejected him so much and it was a huge blow to his pride, but at least he had left his intention clear to the boy and he had had fun.

Now the only thing to do was to continue pissing him off until he was left desperate for him.

.

.

.

Law paced up and down his room without being able to stand still. His skin was still wet and he was starting to get cold because the only clothes he was wearing was the stupid towel from before. He should probably get some clothes on, but he didn't, his mind was still looking for an explanation for what had just happened.

Because, what the hell? _What_ had just happened? Had the other just jumped on him like an animal in heat? Really? Hadn't it been in his imagination? And why had the dragon done that? They were both men for God's sake, didn't he understood that things didn't work that way? Or was it perhaps, that dragons could reproduce with members of the same sex and...

Law mentally slapped himself. 'Law don't go in there, you don't want to go in there' and besides, that wasn't the problem. The dragon could do whatever he wanted, he could try and eat him, he could torture him or ... Well, take him to bed as it appeared to be the case,'God, had he seriously done that? Was he so needed?' He asked in disbelief again. But that wasn't yet the problem, the problem was that he, technically, didn't have to care about what the monster did to him... But he have.

Why had he ended up with an erection ? Why had he get aroused and had been staring at the redhead like an idiot when he had undressed? Law recalled the image, how the other had been taking off his clothes slowly while looking into his eyes, and how the dragon had smiled full of confidence and male satisfaction. He hadn't been prepared for this, he simply hadn't been trained to face an enemy that wanted to get him into his bed. Law hadn't known what to do, so he hadn't done a thing and had only stare at that amazing powerful body.

It had been like watching one of the Roman statues that decorated the halls of the Vatican. A body perfectly sculpted with strong and elegant muscles and covered in white marbled skin that contrasted with his bright red hair. Law had been stunned. However that perfect and beautiful skin had been covered with scars from old battles and the one that Law has made on his own.

A long thin line that crossed his pale chest.

Seeing the scar he had left on the dragon in his previous battle had stirred something in Law. He had marked the beast, that perfect body was claimed with a scar that would be always there in his long life. Something that would remind the dragon of him for eternity. A mark that would tell everyone that someone had hurt the huge beast, that someone could be at his level smoothly, that despite being a mere human he could fight as an equal.

A scar that marked the redhead as his prey. As his.

But the scene hadn't finished there, no, the dragon then had gotten into the water and had cornered him pathetically against the wall. And then the perfect body had been inches from his own, completely wet and naked before him.

Law growled falling into the floor on his knees and feeling his erection waking up again.

Why was he getting excited just by remembering him? The dragon was a man, his enemy, what he was doing contradicted the code from start to end. What the hell was he doing? He hadn't come to Romania to have fun. He has to regain control or the Vatican would kill him, he had to find an explanation, he had to stop whatever was happening to him.

However, as it had going on for hours since he had returned from the bathroom, when he came back to a conclusion, Law feel again the hot breath of the redhead against his exposed neck and his hoarse voice in his ear and again his mind go blank and he returned to the starting point.

'Why do I have a fucking erection?'

 


	8. Favor

The redheaded boy yawned widely, stretched pleasantly between the sheets of his bed removing the last traces of sleep and waking up from the pleasant dream he had just had. Then Kidd smirked mischievously. That day he had awakened in a good mood, and the perspective of continuing to torture the arrogant boy in his cave only made him want to laugh evilly as all the plans he had already made danced in his mind.

He was going to have so much fun.

So, that day, instead of procrastinating in bed for a while as he usually did, he jumped out of it and, ignoring his own nakedness, he went to the closet in his room to grab some clothes.

The cabinet, as all he had, was huge and was full of extravagant clothes: Shirts, pants and jackets were piled on large shelves with fur coats, embroidered kimonos and military outfits. There were so many clothes stuck in there, that the dragon hadn't been able to wear all of them despite his centuries of life, and also, deciding what to wear from that huge mountain was something that used to drive him mad. So, instead, Kidd usually just grabbed the first things he found: military boots, black pants and also a black cotton shirt. Comfortable, resistant and easy to carry.

But that day, when he stood completely naked in front of the closet, scratching his stomach and stroking the thin line of red hair that ran from his navel to his groin, he just smirked beginning to hatch his evil plans. With a mischievous smile, Kidd reached out and took just a single underwear, a black and tight boxer that couldn't hide everything it should. Then, putting it on quickly, he stretched again and looked at his reflex in the mirror next to the wardrobe, repositioning some locks of his red hair. When he was content with his appearance he smiled proudly at his reflex and strode out of the room completely confident with himself.

When he reached the kitchen walking with fast steps and barefoot, he contained a maniac laughter as he saw the dark haired boy eating quietly on the wooden table without expecting anything. Smiling evilly he walked straight to the boy and suppressed a laugh again as the human practically spit what he was drinking when he saw Kidd naked before him, and just stared for a long moment at his body.

The dragon however ignored him and just poured himself a cup of mulled wine and took a slice of rye bread with blackberry jam and figs. Then he sat down with the boy pretending that nothing was happening and that he wasn't practically naked. Kidd began to eat his breakfast peacefully, feeling proud of how the other's gaze always returned to run over his body with hunger.

"Beautiful day huh?" Kidd said as his tongue began to lick the remains of the juicy jam on his lips.

The boy looked at him frowning over his wineglass and shrugged, but said nothing about it and both continued to pretend nothing was happening. The human was clearly irritated. Kidd loved to piss him off. The redhead smiled wryly and continued eating, feeling the starving look the human was sending his way every few seconds, devouring every millimeter of exposed skin he could.

Kidd was surprised that everything was going as he wanted that time, that his plans were working so well and that he hadn't already met the usual wall. Perhaps the tanned boy didn't hate him as much as he said, perhaps he liked him as he had demonstrated in the bathroom and ... Kidd forced himself to stop having expectations. He shouldn't get excited by the improvement in his tactics and he should just stick to the original plan. It was useless to have expectations. They had already done too much damage to him and he had already learned from his experience. It was better to stick to reality.

So Kidd let the other do whatever he wanted, he kept eating and forced himself to kill the erection he had developed thanks to the boy's hungry glances.

Law neither said anything while Kidd finished eating, and Kidd started fearing that the human would cease to speak to him. A kind of revenge for what he did the other day in the bathroom and what he was doing now with his nakedness. Okay, maybe he had gone a little too far with the bath or with that, but he didn't regret anything and he didn't want to apologize when he had had so much fun.

In the end, feeling his patience grew thin while the boy was perfectly in control of himself despite the eloquent glances, Kidd decided that, for the moment, he had had enough.

"I'm going out to fly and do some chores" he said to the boy trying to get some topic of conversation more or less neutral.

And, as he finished the phrase, he saw it: an imperceptible change in the boy's dark eyes. As if they had been suddenly lit by magic.

Kidd stared stunned for a moment without understanding what had brought this change, but fascinated by the emotion that reflected. It was the first time he had seen that, the first time he saw that anxious and dreamy look on the other eyes. So, when the light glow started to fade, Kidd immediately wanted it back. It was almost a necessity. Quickly, he asked the first thing that went through his mind and what he thought could be the reason of such a change of emotion.

"Want... to come with me?" he asked slowly, doubting his own words.

And again that brightness appeared in the gray eyes summoned from the depths of his soul. Kidd couldn't help but smile as the warm feel in his chest expanded. Why was he so happy to see the boy moved? Why was he grinning stupidly? Kidd drinked in the sight of Law as the human looked at him with those amazing gray eyes and with a shadow of a smile in his tender lips.

However he hesitated, as always, reluctant to trust him. "Are you sure? Do you want me to leave the cave?" He asked with a cautious look searching for some trick or something that could harm him.

Kidd shrugged. He was suddenly very anxious to get out and fly with the boy, to share an experience with the man. Something so intimate as a flight but yet so fascinating could be... interesting with the little human.

"It's just a flight, is not as if you can do anything against me or escape, you will fall hundred miles if you even try" he said trying to hide the impatience in his voice but trying to sound convincing and threatening.

Law kept looking at him doubtfully but still with that little spark of emotion and desire in his metallic eyes. For a moment it reminded Kidd of a little boy deciding whether to eat the new food his mother gave him and taste the new flavours or leave it and don't even take the risk. It was kind of cute. More or less. The attempt of murder was still recent in his mind.

"Why do you want me to go with you?" Finally asked the man wanting all the answers.

Kidd shrugged his shoulders again. Tempting the boy was almost as amusing as pissing him off.

"Why do you think I want you to come with me?" He quickly replied with that suggestive and rough tone that used to drive his lovers mad. Flirting shamelessly with the boy, but hiding the obvious truth.

He couldn't say that he wanted to be with the boy every fucking second of the day, that he wanted to make him happy and watch that perfect smile again. Because if he said it then the boy would ask _why_ , and Kidd wasn't prepared to talk about it. Not yet. One thing was to recognize he liked the boy and quite another was to proclaim it to the world. He wasn't prepared to say those words, it wasn't the time yet.

In any case, at the moment, the boy just rolled his eyes at his lame comment and rose from the table quickly feigning boredom and not realizing his tactics. Kidd was glad Law hadn't seen anything. However, he could perfectly hear the human accelerated heartbeat which said that the suggestive comment hadn't left the boy as indifferent as he tried to fake.

The redhead practically purred at the soft but strong sound.

"No" The boy said turning to the exit, as stubborn and proud as ever. Kidd knew he had crossed a line with his previous comment but he just hadn't been able to help himself "I have more interesting things to do than entertain you"

Kidd just laughed at the outburst. He was in a good mood after all. He wasn't going to get angry over little things, so, before Law could try to escape again, Kidd intercepted him and grabbed him by the wrist.

The dragon instantly felt the electric shock ran up his arm from where he was touching the boy, he felt the smooth skin, he felt the heat and the possessive meaning of that gesture. But he ignored it, getting an erection wouldn't be good right now, especially with the little clothes he was wearing. So he decided instead to focus on convincing the little human to fly with him.

"Come on, it'll be fun" he said cheerfully as he guided Law to the entrance of the cave without leaving him the slightest choice.

The brown haired boy of course resisted the grip and tried to pull away as he shouted that he was being an idiot and that he wouldn't do anything, but Kidd had managed to put his hands on him and he didn't want to let go of the boy no matter how much he insisted.

After a bit of manhandling and insults, they finally arrived at the entrance to the cave where the sky was again plagued by the eternal black clouds. That day the wind wasn't blowing angrily and, after the sunny day they had had the previous day, the temperature was heated and was perfect for flying.

Kidd discreetly looked at the human and the clothes he was wearing because once they started to fly and go high, the temperature would inevitably go down and he didn't want the boy frozen up there. Thank goodness the boy was wearing that fur coat again which lately he had seemed unwilling to take off, and in general he seemed quite warm. On second thought, he could wrap his power around him and heat the air around the boy if it was ever needed.

Kidd didn't doubt more. Once everything was fine the redhead reluctantly released his grip on the boy who gave him an angry and murderous look. Kidd smiled back innocently. He backed of a few steps and stood in the center of the cave, quickly beginning to surround himself with the familiar golden flames.

"This is stupid" the brown haired boy said, carefully watching him.

Kidd however ignored the boy while he transformed again. His body changed again, his muscles stretched to the impossible, his column got covered with long thorns, and two wings emerged from under his skin as his whole perspective shifted. The change only lasted a sigh, it was so fast that even an enemy couldn't have hurt him in that minimum period of weakness. Once it finished the dragon sighed contentedly, slightly opened his wings and turned his head to look at the human with his huge golden eyes that never changed colour not matter in what form he was.

 _Up._ He ordered telepathically

However the boy just looked at him wide-eyed from head to toe without moving an inch. Suddenly quiet and calm. He seemed almost paralyzed, but not of fear the creature realized with great glee, but just fascination.

Pride again flooded in his chest and the dragon stretched and growled showing off a little and slightly smug about the boy's impressed face. That stunning face always looked good in his enemies and turned things to where they should be: he was a legendary creature, he was breathtaking, and the little human should respect and reverence him rather than showing that disdain and contempt he always showed. He should look at him as he was looking now, astonished and admiring.

However, after a moment, nothing still happened and the boy just kept staring at him paralyzed.

 _Law, come here._ He ordered again with a slight grunt that brooked no argument.

He wanted the boy above him. With him. Kidd wanted to show the human what he was capable of, what he could show him if the boy trusted him. He wanted to have fun with him, to share a moment without insults or hate, just to forget everything else and just focusing on the two of them on the clouds. And suddenly, as if the boy had been reading his mind, he obeyed and approached the great beast. But still alerted and cautious, and still not taking the last step that separated them. Kidd just wanted to laugh at that change of attitude they boy had had, from the assassination attempt to that stupid caution.

Kidd's patience was getting low with that human, because every step he took in the relationship seemed too cost him so much effort for the little reward he received back. So, that time, to sped things a little more, Kidd turned his huge head until it was in front of the boy's face, and blew a ring of black smoke right into his face to tease and mock him. The boy instantly coughed the wisps of smoke from his face and gave the dragon a sinister look.

The tension was broken in an instant. Law gave him a soft punch in the nose covered in red scales in revenge and Kidd made the synonym of a human smile with his mouth full of teeth.

Kidd, however, couldn't help it anymore and carefully rubbed his snout against the tanned hand in an universal request. He needed the human to pet him, to touch him, to feel his skin against his body. It won't as fulfilling as if he has been human, but it wasn't also so personal, it wouldn't scare the boy. Law on his part hesitated, but finally and with curiosity he moved his fingers experimentally over the thick, scarlet scales gaining a satisfied grunt from the dragon.

'What am I doing?' Law thought incredulous as he looked into Kidd's eyes wondering why the hell he was petting a dragon, his enemy, and why wasn't he feeling at least a bit scared but rather excited.

The huge golden eyes that seemed as fireballs the size of his head, looked at him expectantly and Law returned to pet the beast as he wanted, introducing his fingers in the openings of the huge dragon scales and feeling the thick edges.

Kidd let out a satisfied grunt. The exorcist smirked, and sent his reservations to hell.

Raising both hands Law began to caress the dragon, surprised by the softness of the huge scales. So smooth and polished as a piece of marble, and with that the red color that changed from ruby to scarlet when the light reflected on them. Law discovered slowly the huge body of the beast, admiring his eyes, teeth and snout before going down from his head to the elegant neck covered with golden spikes the size of his leg scaping menacingly from his dorsal. He ran a hand through them, still surprised by the amazing heat given off by that powerful body.

Then he came to his shoulders where the huge wings were. Carefully and still confused by what he was doing, Law put a hand on the surface of one of the huge bloody-coloured wing and jumped in surprise when Kidd lifted it and covered him letting out a little laugh.

Law then found himself trapped under the huge layer that was the body of the dragon.

The wing wasn't thick and he could practically see the light through it, but it still remained coated with small and resistant scales as if it were an armor. Law ran his hands through it. Fascinated. The wing almost seemed as the soft fabric of a blanket, but tougher than an iron coat. It was impressive that such a creature existed, that something so big and heavy could fly and breathe fire without a problem.

It was almost magic.

However, before he could continue his inspection Kidd gave another chuckle when he stroke his wing again -as if he had been tickled- and raised the wing uncovering him.

Immediately the cold surrounded Law and he missed the heat given off by Kidd's body.

 _Stop fooling around and come here, I want you to ride me._ Kidd said in his mind, again with the double sense but this time with a caring and almost affectionate tone.

As curious as Law was, he felt slightly disappointed to have to stop his scrutiny. The other was so big that he could spend hours stroking him and discovering each mystery he was hiding. How the long tail could easily sweep buildings or how his chest illuminated with the fire inside him every time the dragon got angry... Yet Law said nothing and only looked inside the huge golden eyes of the beast.

"Where do I sit?" He asked unaware of how he had changed his mind in less than a few minutes.

Kidd smiled and give him his back showing him the back of his neck. There, Law realized, where the neck and shoulders meted, there was a gap between the spikes that allowed him to sit and to cling to the dragon avoiding to fall during the flight. Law without a doubt, relied entirely on the dragon and climbed the huge leg up to the site that the dragon had instructed.

Once there, he wrapped his legs around the other's neck and clutched one of the huge thorns in front of him. Then he froze for a moment when the situation finally hit him. 'I'm on top of a dragon' he realized with a mixture of panic and excitement, but before he could rethink anything, the other whispered again in his mind.

_Hold on tight._

Law instantly tightened his legs around the other's neck and clung to the nearest spine for dear life. Kidd groaned at that, and Law didn't know how to identify the sound but it sounded slightly needed and desperate. Law blushed slightly as he realized what he was doing, and how the situation could be interpreted in any other context. Pissed off because he had easily losen his composure, Law loosened the strength of his legs around the dragon throat, and tried not to think on the image his brain had send him with that stupid position.

However all embarrassment and anger disappeared when the other opened his wings again and began to move toward the cliff at the end of the cave. The brown haired boy felt the powerful muscles of the creature moving beneath him in a slightly intimidating manner. Then he looked forward to the edge of cliff that was increasingly closer to them.

For the mother of god. He hadn't thought about that. Kidd couldn't be thinking of jumping, right? It was suicidal, right? The Exorcist began to regret having trusted the other when the dragon just dropped into the abyss.

Law would always deny to have screamed.

He felt his body suddenly rise in the weightless air as they fell, and the air ruffling his hair like a hurricane. Law closed his eyes waiting for the blow he knew was inevitably coming. He shouldn't have mounted, he shouldn't have listened. Now he was going to die and it was because of his own stupidity.

Suddenly a loud buzzing sound echoed behind him and, with a strong pull, the exorcist felt his weight go back to normal. Law heard a laugh in his mind as the huge buzz repeated again in a constant and steady rhythm. Carefully he opened his eyes.

He shuked a breath.

He was flying.

Above the forest, inches from the clouds and with the cold morning air hitting his face, Law let out a shocked gasp at the incredible landscape passing below at an impossible speed. He was flying for the love of God, and on top of a dragon. Kidd beated his wings even stronger and they rose higher in the air until the whole valley was spread beneath them, from the small town to the huge black mountains. Fields of green grass and the river of turbulent waters that vanished again and again among the tall trees of the forest. The fascination and excitement flooded inside Law and he couldn't hide the smile on his face at the sensation of freedom that intoxicated him.

 _Unbelievable, this is amazing._ Law whispered on the dragon's mind with an euphoria he couldn't hide, and almost instantly, he felt the creature purring under him satisfied.

 _I know._ The creature arrogantly replied. _But you still haven't seen anything._

Law rolled his eyes still with a smile on his face.

They keep flying for a while. Flying through the valley, enjoying each other's company and the awesome experience. Kidd taught him how it feel to fly over fluffy white clouds, he laughed at Law when the human ended up soaked wet when they passed through one, but still Kidd heated instantly the air around him so he could warm up and dry. Law denied the blush that the possessive and caring act had caused him as well as the sudden liking he was getting of the dragon.

They flew over the city listening entertained to the cries of alarm that erupted instantly as they passed by and they flew over the forest where the abandoned cottage was. They chased eagles together, hunted some deer, and finally they returned to the cave when the sun was high on the sky.

Law again felt the disappointment that it had just finished so quickly.

With stiff muscles Law got off the dragon when he landed and walked away leaving Kidd alone to transform. He felt a strange mixture of feelings within him that he didn't quite identify. When the red-haired man reappeared before him still with the thin boxers as his only clothes, Law looked at him with confusion and lost in his eyes and the adrenaline still in his veins.

For the first time in his life he was speechless.

And then Kidd smiled clearly happy and proud of what he had done. He smiled in a way that Law had never seen him, without malice, without ulterior motives, just happy because he had had a good time with him. As if the happiness of Law meant everything to him. Which was stupid and made no sense. Despite this strange comfortable moment, they were still enemies and the redhead had no reason to smile warmly and satisfied as he was doing now.

"The food would be cooked in a moment" the dragon said heading to the kitchen with the deer they had hunted on his shoulder and giving him a last accomplice look.

Law bit his lip and nodded at the man while looking away to hide his confusion. The warm and pleasant sensation in his chest extended again. He didn't understand it. Lately he hadn't been understanding many things.

.

.

.

Kidd was pleased. He hadn't felt so happy and at peace with everything in a long time, and the cause of all that was the boy and the almost friendly and peaceful moment they had had during the flight. Law had smiled, Kidd had seen the excitement and joy on the face of the tanned boy and since then, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about it and neither had he been able to stop smiling stupidly.

Kidd knew this was the most romantic and fluffy thing he had done and that he should start to panic. He wasn't a romantic or passionate man, he was rather possessive and sadistic, but he was only thinking about the boy and he swore that he was sweating hearts out through the pores of his skin.

Yet the relationship was improving, if the last interaction they had had, the first without insults or threats, had meant something. Kidd hoped that now they could coexist without a problem, everything would be easier then. Kidd smiled again remembering his master plans, and turned the pages of the book he was reading without really understanding something.

Until he felt a pair of boots approaching his room and stopping at the open door. The old dragon stupidly smiled as he had been doing all day. When he turned, the boy was at the door of _his room_ with a face of doubt but decided. Kidd closed the book and felt a little shiver of anticipation through his body.

It was the first time that the boy had come to him.

It had always been him the one who had to go for Law, who had searched him, so this new approach had to mean something right? Finally the boy was accepting him, at last things began to move.

"What's up?" he asked, turning slightly to see the boy from where he was sitting splayed in the fur chair with his leather boots on top of the rough wooden table.

Law looked at him seriously, casting his eyes over his body. Kidd couldn't help but smile arrogantly again as he was shirtless and wearing only his pants and boots as he used to. Clearly the boy physically liked him, no matter how much he wanted to deny it. Kidd saw how his pupils dilated every time he looked at his naked chest, or how his breath quicken with the rhythm of his heartbeat whenever Kidd flirted. That encouraged him, after so much rejection and hatred, at least the boy had a weakness he could exploit in his favor.

However it was clear that he still had a lot to go before the little human jumped at his bones. The boy might desire him, but he also had the greatest self-control Kidd had never seen in a human. Which sometimes was worrisome.

"I ... I need to ask for a favor" said the dark haired boy leaning against the door frame.

Kidd smirked, and couldn't help himself.

"Whatever you want, darling" he said with one of the cheapest phrases he could think of and with that seductive voice.

Law instantly sighed and put a face that said he was questioning his intelligence, but this time Kidd didn't miss the amazed look in his eyes and the familiar acceleration in his heartbeat.

"Well, when we went outside to fly I recalled that I have all my belongings in the cottage" the man said "and, as I will be spending my time here indefinitely, I would want to request if you could take me there to pick them up. And also, I would want to go to town to buy some books and other garments" Law said quietly.

The expectant silence filled the room. Kidd smile faded.

No, he couldn't take him out. He didn't want Law out of his lair, he didn't want him trying to escape, didn't want to chase him, didn't want the boy to remember that they were enemies and return to starting point. Not now when they were starting to get along.

The panic surrounded him, in a way that he hadn't felt in many centuries. The possessiveness invade him again and it yelled him to lock the man in the cave and make the little human _his_ at last. Kidd's mind went into chaos and again he felt he could destroy everything around him with all the emotions he had inside. But Kidd stopped the rage attack. The dragon breathed and forced himself not to explode. He couldn't explode, he couldn't scare the human again. Not again.

"No" the dragon answered at the end. In an absolute tone. As he reopened the book making it clear that the conversation was over.

But as always, the human had to insist.

"Why not? It's just a moment. I'm not going to try anything, I promise I won't run away" he said guessing his thoughts and rolling his eyes bored, as if it was just obvious "I just need some stuff, we'll be back before dark" he insisted.

Kidd tensed at his words and that stupid promise. He didn't trust the boy, yeah, he wanted to fuck him and maybe something else, but he didn't trust him at all. Which was very sad.

"I'm not going to take you" he flatly said "stop insisting"

The boy frowned. Kidd swore already feeling the imminent fight. Why couldn't they spend some time without fighting? That morning they had been fine, why had all gone to shit so quickly? Why did they always have to end up fighting?

"Why not? Give me _one_ decent reason not to do it" Said the boy raising his voice from where he was at the door, not understanding why Kidd was denying him.

"It's not a favor and you know it" the dragon answered with burning raged eyes "You want a favor? Fine, ask me whatever you want I will give it to you without a problem. But I won't let you go out of the cave" he said.

"Why not?" The gray eyed boy insisted again, asking for a reason without understanding the situation and clearly annoyed for it "If I escape you can catch me without a problem, I'm not even armed for the love of god"

'I don't want you to try to escape, I don't want to chase you and go back to the beginning' Kidd thought clutching the book in his hands and feeling the pages bend and starting to turn brown from the heat of his skin.

"Because I say so" he finally answered as if he was a small child.

The boy instantly looked at him incredulous and with a dark rage in his eyes while clenching his fists helplessly. Kidd recalled the smile that he had seen in the tanned boy's face that morning and that fascinated look he had had when he had been stroking him.

Something painfully squeezed his heart.

"You're an asshole" the boy insulted with a voice full of hate.

Kidd ignored that angry look and turned back to the burned book, feeling a mixture of emotions that went from frustration and pain to anger. He still wasn't going to budge. Not with that. He wasn't going to risk losing the human in the least. Dragons were the most possessive creatures in the world, when they got something, they went to grave with it. And this was no exception.

"You can insult me all you want, I'm not gonna take you out"

The brunette let out a frustrated growl and hit the wall beside him hard as he twisted and give him his back. Kidd had never seen him lose his patience in that way, normally the guy was always controlled, it was him the one who exploded. Unconsciously he wondered what had caused that sudden change of behavior, but then the boy spoke again.

"I hate you" the brown haired boy said in a low tone as he gave him his back.

Kidd felt the cold burn in his chest as he just stood there watching the other disappear into the corridors of the cave running away from him. The redhead just sighed and leaned his head against the back of the chair as he covered his eyes with one hand.

"I know" he told the empty room with a voice too weak for his liking.

The little human hated him. They had returned to the starting point despite Kidd's attempts to avoid it. The dragon didn't know what else to do to approach the boy. He knew from the beginning that the situation was complicated itself, a prisoner could never fall in love with his captor, a human couldn't fall in love with a dragon and men just didn't fit together. But after that morning, with the flight and companionship, or after the bath and the obvious interest he had felt in the boy, hope had arisen and he had thought it could be possible.

'Well Kidd, it isn't' they had returned to the starting point and and he would have to deal with it.

But he wasn't going to give up. He had all eternity to conquer the annoying boy and at the end he would have him, it didn't matter if the human just did it out of desperation for him to stop his depressing insinuations.

Kidd insisted that nothing had happened. That, with the situation they were in, it was normal to have problems. But he couldn't help feeling a sense of sadness and despair take over his mind and the joy that he had had all day vanishing into nothingness.

.

.

.

Law was still training, he was still throwing kicks at the air in his own room in an attempt to relax and release the anger and the rage that filled him. It was the first time he had losen control, the first time he had shouted and acted like a little child. It was the first time he hadn't been able to control his emotions and, as he seemed to be doing lately, he had returned to break the code.

He didn't give a fuck about the code, though.

He was too angry to care about something that people was unlikely to know about. Besides, he had every right to be angry. He didn't understand what had just happened, that morning everything had been alright, there had been some kind of camaraderie between them, but just a moment ago they had started to fight again.

Law kicked the air again with an angry growl.

He hadn't asked for something impossible, he just wanted to pick up his stuff and buy some things in the village as books or a fucking soap bar. He didn't understand why the dragon had refused so fiercely, it wasn't as if he could break away or do anything against him, why was Kidd so paranoid? Why couldn't the redhead fulfill such a little request? No, he had to deny it and insult and trigger another stupid argument.

Law re-launched another deadly blow to the air and then a knock sounded at the door.

Law cursed under his breath and for a moment he thought about not answering the door and letting the other outside, just to screw him, but he knew that Kidd was capable of breaking the stupid door if needed. 'It's my house and I can go wherever I want' he would surely say. Motherfucker. Snarling so fucking pissed Law wiped the sweat of his brow and went to open the door.

"What you want?" he quickly asked when he opened the door and the other just stared at him.

The redhead was taller than Law, so the exorcist always had to look up to meet his golden eyes, which had always annoyed the tanned boy. Law had always been higher than common people, and he had always known how to use that little advantage to intimidate his opponent. However, with the redhead, that was just simply impossible. Kidd in any case had never said anything about it or had tried to intimidate or exploit his advantage, on the contrary, he always looked into Law's eyes as if he was looking for something in them. Like he was doing now.

"Here" he said out of nowhere handing him a thick book.

Law took it more by instinct than because he wanted to, but, when he read the title on the cover, he opened his eyes in surprise. It was an ancient codex from several centuries ago from Avicenna about medicinal herbs and ancient remedies. It was one of the lost treasures of mankind, one of the books from the private collection of the doctor and one the Vatican had been seeking for centuries.

And the dragon had it.

Law looked at the dragon confused and with itching fingers. He wanted to open and read the mysterious book but he wasn't still sure why the dragon have given it to him. He looked at Kidd. The dragon however avoided his gaze as if he was nervous.

"It's a gift" the redhead explained "to apologize" he said without looking in Law's direction and pathetically scratching his neck like a lovesick teenager.

Law looked at the treasure he had in his hands. And then he looked at the nervous dragon in front of him.

A murderer instinct arised in his veins. Without hesitation he grabbed the book and pushed it against the taller's chest giving it back sharply. The dragon looked surprised and Law almost gritted his teeth with fury.

"I do not require nor want anything from you" he hissed in the dragon's face "I do not need your apologies or mercy. I won't be forgiving you, it doesn't matter how much you regret it or how many gifts you purchase. There is nothing to forgive in first place. We are enemies. I'm going to hate you. It doesn't matter what you do or what happens" he said referring to the time they had shared that morning "So stop doing stupid things like this and forget about getting me in your bed, because that will never happen" he said emphasizing the 'never'.

And there it was. He had finally said it. When Law finished speaking he just felt relaxed and content with himself. It was the fucking truth. That morning had meant nothing, what happened in the bathroom the other day had only been a logical physical reaction to the strange situation. But it had meant nothing. They were enemies. To hate the other was the normal thing to do, it was normal that the proud monster would refuse him a little favor and it was normal that Law would reject the book. What hadn't been normal was everything else.

He had to focus, he had to go back to the start, he had to remember the code.

The dragon in front of Law was still staring at him in disbelief with the book still cradled in his chest and not sure of what to say to the exorcist's sudden outburst. Kidd opened his mouth with a faced mix of anger and pain. He seemed able to start yelling at him in the spot.

Law slammed the door in the dragon's face and walked again to the center of the room to train. Ignoring the event as if nothing had interrupted his routine. Let's see if the fucking dragon could understand that he wasn't going to fall for a little gift. He wasn't a woman who could be bought with a bouquet of roses.

Law grinned satisfied when a pissed roar shook the cave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, first of all, I wanted to explain a few things, first of all, Law and his rage attacks, he never do that, he's the collected and composed kind of guy, but he's realizing he's having few problems with himself like breaking the code or the stupid atraccion he was with Kidd and he's losing it. He's just a gasoline tank waiting to explode.
> 
> On other hand, about the book, it's part of Kidd's treasure, Kidd's has given Law a bit of his huge beloved treasure, but, of course, Law don't realize this and just treat it like shit XD Also, Avicena, the author, was a famous doctor in the middle age. His books about medicine were translated into several languages and he was one of the few authors that hadn't been censored by the church despite his arabic origin.


	9. Losing Patience

Again the huge room shook beneath his powerful roar, the shelves trembled and the books in them danced threatening to fall out of place. The tall candles flickered on the table, spilling more jets of wax on the dark wood and creating clear paths to the ground turning white before he could do something about it. The whole world seemed scared by his angry presence.

Because Kidd went ballistic.

He had just returned to his room after the productive conversation he had with the tanned boy, and in truth, he still didn't know what had happened. He had apologized, he had given him one of the books from his treasure, his fucking treasure, but apparently the problem have been bigger than he thought, apparently the things had gone to hell more than he had wanted to recognize.

Kidd sat back on the bed, running a hand over his face, the pearl headboard hit the wall then emitting a strange crunch that sent a shiver of distaste up his spine, but Kidd ignored it. He turned in the bed and buried his face in the soft pillow and fluffy blankets.

The truth was that he was tired of fighting. The truth was that he no longer wanted to fight for something he knew he had no future with and it didn't mattered how he looked at it. Maybe he should give up, maybe he should release the boy, let him go and move on with his life. Back to normal and the calm he knew before he met the guy. He could also move, change his home base and lair, he had been in the dark valley for far too long and the dragon was again bored and asked for an adventure. Then the two would separate, and they would never meet again.

He forget it all then, he could start from scratch and would be free and unfettered.

Something in his soul stood against the idea. Okay, he would regain his cherished freedom and loneliness if he did it, but he would recover the boredom and monotony that had ruled his life so far. Also, something told him that separating from the dark haired boy was going to hurt him more than he thought. They may argue and they may hate each other but now Kidd couldn't imagine his life without teasing the little human and without the boy paying him back. He wake up every morning looking forward to seeing those gray eyes and brown skin and his mind instantly began to make plans for conquest and it was just too funny.

He just didn't want to leave him.

The thought of leaving him free, let him continue his life without him in it, caused him a strange fury. Law would raise a family then, he would find _someone_ and live happily with her. The boy would surely be a good father and even a better husband, he was the dream of every woman, smart, sexy and strong. Kidd could almost see it in his mind. His hands tore the heavy wool blankets where he was in and he was unaware. The fabric had taken a black color and the room temperature had risen too. Kidd forced himself to regain control. Definitely that wouldn't happen. Never. The brown haired boy was _his,_ shouted a possessive part of his mind; and Kidd couldn't agree more with it.

So what would he do? Spend his whole life with the gray eyed boy arguing and shouting? That wasn't healthy, and that would end up with both of them trying to kill each other. He had to solve this.

As much as he couldn't stand this anymore, as much as he wanted to give up he had to keep fighting for the little human, because the other option was to leave him and surrender to the idea of him in the arms of another person. Which was even worse. The mere thought was destroying something inside him.

But how could he do it? He had already tried everything and the human had left it very clear: nothing was going to happen between them. In addition Kidd knew that the dark haired boy was almost as stubborn as he was and that he wouldn't change his mind no matter what he did.

And then Kidd had an idea.

Sitting in the bed he smirked. Clearly, the human was just as stubborn as him. That was the secret. This wasn't an attempt to start a relationship to try and get along; it was rather a competition to know who could take more, to know who was more stubborn between the two of them: he insisting, or other screaming and resisting.

Kidd rose from the bed and went to the closet to dress in his eternal black pants.

The other wanted to fight. Well then he would fight too and insist and piss him off no matter how hysterical the other was. Until finally the boy couldn't stand it anymore and would jump into his arms begging him to shut up. If the human didn't understand what happened, Kidd would make him understand. If the other said that nothing would happen between them, he would prove him wrong.

Kidd left the room toward his treasure feeling satisfied with his decision and knowing what he had to do and how to do it. This would be his final attack and it would fuking work. Because getting up every morning with an erection and being unable to do something about it was killing his health.

.

.

.

A frustrated Law threw his heavy book in the bed and took another one from the stack of books on his left. The exorcist was lying on his bed with his feet on the wall and a layer of fur covering him slightly and maintaining his heat. Several books were scattered around him discarded or half read. They were interesting books, treatises written in languages forgotten long ago. They were the typical things that Law found fascinating enough to spend hours reading them. And yet he couldn't concentrate. The conversation they had had the previous evening was still repeating in his head over and over again. Every word he told and every expression the redhead had wearied after them.

As much as he refused to do it, he regretted what he had done. He had been very rough with the dragon. The surprised and painful look Kidd had made was still etched in his mind screaming at him for being an idiot. And what's more, the fact that the dragon refused him a favor didn't justify how angry and pissed he had been, he had no right to start screaming like a rabid teenager. It was normal that the redhead forbid him from going out of the cave, Law understood, although they began to get along, there were still several obstacles to overcome.

'There are still obstacles to overcome for what? _'_ Law asked himself. What was he going to do with the Dragon? What did he want?

Law scowled and glared at the dark wood ceiling with his metallic eyes. The books he had been reading were instantly forgotten and Law simply stroked the soft fur coat covering him completely distracted.

He got along with the dragon. Surely if they had met in any other situations and under other circumstances they would have ended up being friends. Kidd was a typical proud and arrogant man Law loved to piss off between jokes and jars of beer, and he also seemed to be liked by the dragon as well. He remembers the journey through the clouds where Kidd had been laughing at him with jokes as he showed him the great and dark valley with affection. Both were also intelligent, lacked manners, civic sense, and could defend themselves in a fight without the slightest problem. They simply had too much in common.

So that was it? He wanted a friend? Someone to joke with and have fun after years of training and loneliness?

Interestingly the answer was no. Law had friends in the Vatican, or at least what could be considered as friends for an exorcist. Like many things in his Spartan education, he had been forbidden to have friends or colleagues, he had been forbidden to build relationships and emotional bonds that could be used against him or that might distract him from his duties. Law still shared a kind of a secret friendship with other exorcists who had accompanied him on some of the missions entrusted to them. It was necessary to find some understanding and people who shared your problems within an association as radical as the Vatican. It was necessary to maintain the little mental health they had left while they were trained until they become dispensable machines.

So could it couldn't be that, not a friend... then what the hell he wanted?

Law look back on their relationship from start to finish. The dungeon, the strange interrogations and attempted murder, they had made the deal then and ... Law blushed remembering the slap on his ass, the stupid flirtation or bathroom incident. He growled frustrated and rolled restless on the bed to hide his face in the undone sheets.

Of course, the other had been jumping at him every time he could since they had made the deal and clearly the dragon was trying to go somewhere with him. Kidd had made it perfectly clear that he wanted something more than the prisoner-jailer relationship or just a plain friendship. Law initially hadn't given a fuck about it, it was a stupid new form of torture, it had been even fun to watch his stupid and fruitless advances, but the problem was what he thought now. Now after flying with him, after spending time with the beast, after blushing and getting aroused every time he remembered about the bathroom incident.

Did he like the dragon now?

The idea was absurd. Downright absurd. The mere fact that his mind even insinuated it was horrifying, they were men, and from different species, it was simply impossible. But that didn't deny the obvious, he thought after analyzing his reactions at that time. As much as he would like to resist the advances of the other, they had worked and he couldn't deny the excitement and desire that had arisen within him. He had liked Kidd's attempts, the cheap flirtations, the languid glances the dragon kept throwing at him and the obvious sexual tension between them both. He liked that someone was interested in him for the first time in a sexual way, that someone tried to seek his attention and please him. It made him feel alive and loved rather than the dispensable tool that the Vatican had always ensured he was.

He liked it. What it was terribly wrong. Law was on the edge of the cliff and he knew it. He only have to go a step further and he would fall into the darkness. He didn't know how he had reached this point, he had always played in the thin line of what was right to do and what was not, but he had always been able to get away if necessary. This time however he didn't trust himself. It was too risky, he had played with fire, with the dragon, and he had inevitably burn.

It pissed him.

He shouldn't have ended in this situation, he had always been smart and he had learned to defend himself and know his limits. So, it doesn't matter how much he regretted having said what he had said that evening to the dragon, it had been the right thing to do, he had to redraw the line, he had to separate from the dragon or he didn't know what he would eventually do.

So Law, even though he knew it wasn't right, wasn't going to apologize. Because if he did, they would return to the friendship and the sexual tension and Law would be on the brink of the abyss again. And this time Law knew that he would jump into it without looking back.

.

.

.

Kidd returned to knock strongly on the wood door for the eighteenth time in the day and, like the previous times, a good five minutes passed by before the little human opened the door of his room.

Kidd could imagine the gray eyed man completely happy to anger him with that stupid door, but it didn't matter, after all, he have been spending all day pissing him off even further. So he waited patiently for the boy to get up from the bed where Kidd heard he was lying, stretched with ease and walk barefoot to the door to open it.

Kidd ignored the murderous and completely tired look the boy dedicated him, again on his doorstep, and he simply smiled.

"What do you want this time? Did you forget something from your visit five minutes ago?" Law asked with the purest and more crystalline hate Kidd had never heard.

Kidd smiled innocently and, ignoring the boy's question, he held out a small chest with golden Arabic decorations and full of precious stones in various shades of gray. Hematitas, onyx, gray sapphires, dark obsidians, opals and other stones of different sizes and shapes almost overflowed the small chest.

Kidd had seen it by chance while walking through his treasure, but instantly the color of the stones had reminded him of the eyes of the boy and he had known he had to give it to the human. Although now that he had the stones and the boy in front of him, he could swear that they could never do justice to the mixture of metallic tones that were of the boy's eyes.

Law meanwhile looked at the chest with the bored look of someone who has done the same thing a thousand times, then he looked at the face of Kidd and raised an eyebrow in a gesture that was an insult to his intelligence in itself. Kidd, entertained with the situation, held his evil laugh which fought to get out of his throat.

They had been doing that all afternoon.

Kidd grabbed something from his treasure, anything, and went to the boy's room to give it to him as an apology. He had brought books, weapons, jewelry, sculptures and all that could be considered of value from his treasure. But Law just rejected everything pushing it against his chest, or throwing it at his face as it had happened with the weapons. Whatever it was. Although his eyes glisten excited with books with formulas of ancient medicines, he always refused them, screamed at the dragon and closed the stupid door in his face.

Then Kidd would put the book or whatever he had brought in front of the human room denying that rejection, and he would return to his treasure for something else to give to the human. Five minutes later he would be knocking at Law's door again without worrying about anything.

They had been like this for all the damn morning and, therefore, his treasure was piled in huge mountains in front of Law's door in what would be the greatest gift anyone could receive.

Kidd knew it was strange. He was giving his treasure, what he wanted and needed most in the world, to a human. Dragons didn't share much less gave away their treasure. It was simply unthinkable. There had never been any human who had saw something like that, no one ever told legends of that kind, he would be taken for a madman and publicly ridiculed by those who hear it. But Kidd knew what he was doing and why, he really understood what it meant and he didn't mind in the least to give all his treasure to the temperamental boy.

It was a kind of mating ritual for them with the only exception that, unlike other predators that did it every year with a different partner for the sole purpose of increasing their species, they only did it once in their life and with only one person.

Technically dragons had to wait for the perfect partner, the one that had been created just for them. His other half. Supposedly when they found it, their instincts will scream at them instantly who she was, and both of them would feel so much attraction for each other that even, if they try to resist and run away from the bond, they couldn't return to live without the other person at their side. At the end they always ended up together, no matter what they did. Indeed, once the link progressed to the point of no return, Kidd would be tied to his partner and die if the other died, the pain would be unbearable to stand. It happened to him and all the other dragons from this world along with some other predators who shared an animal part with a human soul. It was old magic. Forgotten millennials ago.

What was always the problem. They were dragons; they lived the magic and feel every little change in it, so when the bond happened it was like a huge ball hitting your face. But humans and many other creatures that could be paired with them totally ignored the magic. A demon could materialize in front of them and they would be completely unable to see it. They were as blind and lost as a child as far as magic was concerned.

So the union could be their end. Once they saw their mate, due to the attraction that the two souls felt, the dragon would do everything he could to get the human. To make it _his_. But his partner would totally ignore what was going on since he couldn't feel the link, and he could just go on with his life and marry another one ignoring the dragon attempts. And without his other half, the link that pushed them together will eventually drive the dragon crazy, killing him out of desperation.

The stories of such couples never ended well. So, if the dark was what Kidd thought it was, he couldn't give up. He had to have Law, he had to have him for eternity, and he had to start the mating ritual the sooner the better. Not only because his instinct was screaming for him to do it since the first time he had seen the gray eyed boy, but for its own sake and Law's one.

So, when his little human picked up the chest between his pale hands and sighed wearily, Kidd internally prayed that this time the boy would forgive and accept the chest. But as always, Law returned to throw the box against his chest without giving it a second glance.

"I told you it won't work" he said tired and with his brow furrowed "Stop doing this" the ordered sending a fulminant look at the mountains of treasures piled on his door, but pausing longer than necessary at the books.

"Then forgive me" Kidd said without much concern, smiling happily but still a bit forced.

Law glared back at him.

"You don't understand it do you? I'm not going to forgive you, doesn't matter what you do, it will not happen" and, as to finish the conversation he tried to shut the door in his face again.

Kidd however stopped him this time, and quickly interposed between the frame and the door of dark wood. Law growled low while Kidd threw the golden box with the stones causing them to scatter around the floor, and entered the room.

"Why not? Is it so hard to forgive me? It's so horrible what I have done?" He asked starting to get mad with the human stubbornness.

He had thought that the stones would work this time, he had had a hunch. Kidd began to get angry and feel frustrated. He didn't know what else to do, What if Law always rejected him? What if this was one of those sad stories of couples that ended in bloodstained and death because they haven't been able to accept the other?

"You know that's not the reason" Law said, backing up a few steps away from Kidd in the room, annoyed by his proximity and little respect of his privacy.

Kidd glanced around the messy room of the dark haired boy, with books and clothes scattered everywhere on the floor, before stopping the man standing in the middle of it.

"So why is it? Why it's so hard to forgive me? Please explain it to me because I don't understand" Kidd said starting to move to the carpet in the middle of the room while the other drew back instinctively. Started cornering him against the wall.

"Because you're my enemy, why don't you get it? You're the monster I have to kill" Law screamed feeling increasingly trapped against the dragon that kept moving. Trapped with his insistence and lack of brain, trapped in the situation where they were. Why didn't he understand it? Why couldn't Kidd leave him alone and return to the initial situation of disgust and hate?

And then, as if Kidd had been listening in on his thoughts, he stopped in front of him frozen.

' _Monster'._ The word echoed through the dragon's mind with a distant echo. It had been a long time since someone had called him that, so long that Kidd had virtually managed to forget that part of his life. But now everything came back like a hit in his gut. The wars, the persecutions, torture and assassination attempts towards his race. Towards his family. But the memories weren't the ones that made him explode in a fit of rage, what made him mad was the fact that it had been the boy the one who had called him that.

His mate.

With anger Kidd pushed Law and cornered him between his body and the wall. His hands, raised on both sides of the boy's head, instantly broke the dark wood, in an attempt to restrain himself and do no harm to the gray eyed boy. He would not harm the boy. _Never._ Whatever happened and whatever the human said. He would never forgive himself.

Law however looked surprised by the sudden attack and how quickly Kidd had moved, but for the first time, he said nothing and remained silent. Expectant.

"What did you say?" Kidd asked with a voice that sounded more like an animal growl than a question.

Law brow furrowed for a moment confused by the question, but finally he understood what the dragon was talking about. Woah, the dragon was so sensitive to a little word?. An angry and vengeful smile filled his face. Because that was what they had to do, fight, hate and kill each other. They had to separate. He had to redraw the line.

"Monster?" He repeated slowly, savoring the word in his mouth "Well, you kill, steal and destroy everything, that's what you are, little monster, accept it" he said cruelly smiling.

Kidd roared in his face and Law trembled between his arms. Interestingly, unlike the fight they had in the kitchen when the redhead had also roared at him, Law had no fear or panic attack this time. Only an adrenaline rush that made his heart beat much faster than it should.

"Shut up" Kidd shouted in his face " You don't know what you're saying, you do not know what…"

"I know it perfectly well" the tanned interrupted also starting to shout, starting to get mad about the whole situation and looking for an excuse to yell back at the insistent dragon "perhaps you think I didn't saw what you did with the village, the lives you took, the families …"

Kidd roared again. Louder this time. Law closed his eyes feeling his head spinning and his ears whistle with the power of sound. He was beginning to want to punch the noisy beast. It was almost becoming a compulsion.

"You don't understand" Kidd growled with blazing eyes and the room temperature unbearable "I had a motive, they threatened me, they did .. ."

"Bullshit" Law interrupted him again also shouting, feeling like he was drowning between the man and the wall at his back "You had no reason, you didn't also have it the last time we argue and you went out to destroy the village to calm yourself, you..."

Kidd stopped thinking. His mind stopped reacting as Law keeps shouting at him. Accusing him unfairly. He knew nothing, he didn't know his history, he didn't understand what he did. And yet he was his other half. He was still calling him a monster and he was still shouting at him.

And he was still his mate.

So Kidd did the only thing he could think to silence the boy. Drawing near a few centimeters into the human personal space, he caught Law's lips with his own in a sudden kiss.

Silence filled the small room instantly and time stopped. Kidd felt something inside him sigh and relax. The calm came over him and the world rightened himself to where it should be.

And then he opened his eyes and realized what the hell he was doing. He realized that he had managed to do what he had been planning for several days, and this time, without even thinking. For a moment he stood still, not knowing if Law would respond to the kiss or if he would launch his sorry ass to the wall and finally kill him as Kidd knew he deserved.

But while the little human decided what to do, Kidd, as the healthy and intelligent man he was, took advantage of the situation without remorse, and devoured Law's mouth eagerly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is how I like to finish a chapter, fuking yeah


	10. The Inevitable

Law felt the dragon's lips against his and his mind went blank.

He instantly forgot about their previous fight and how he still wanted to scream and remind the dragon of the people he'd killed. For a breathless moment, Law simply stopped thinking as everything around him started to move in slow motion before his eyes.

Kidd had cornered him against the wall and placed his hands flat on the wood surface to either side of Law's head. Their bodies were mere inches apart, and Law could distinctly feel the heat given off by the other's body. He could see the pale skin of the older man, the supple flesh so tantalizingly close to his mouth, and the disorderly and soft strands of crimson hair that cascaded down Kidd's face. His gray eyes roamed over his open golden eyes and nose to finally settle against the full lips pressed against his own. This man was just too gorgeous, perfect. And he was kissing him.

Law stood there, stock-still, confused as to what was happening and unable to process it yet in his mind.

Then, as a reflection of Law's own situation, he felt the redhead suddenly freeze against his mouth as if he was only now realizing what he had done. What was still going on. The dragon's golden eyes widened in surprise, his gaze meeting the silver eyes of the exorcist through long red lashes as they stared at one another for a moment.

Law waited for Kidd to flinch and break the contact then. He waited for the redhead to rear back and beg pardon before leaving the room, probably roaring or shouting. But instead the other merely frowned and, as though making a final decision, he closed his eyes and began to explore Law's lips.

Law shivered as he felt the redhead's lips moving aggressively against his own, demanding and begging to taste him as if he had all the right to do it. An electric current swept through him from head to toe as he felt the other's tongue circle the curves of his mouth, slowly biting and pulling at Law's lower lip with his sharp teeth in an attempt to make him open his mouth and deepen the contact. Kidd almost seemed to be tempting him, biting hard before soothing the slight pain with quick licks and gentle sucks that made him slightly dizzy.

Not advancing, just allowing Law the time to process the strange situation and respond.

Law stood still, giving himself a moment to feel every shiver the redhead's skillful and warm mouth tore from him while simultaneously urging him to respond. Law has never been kissed. He had never expected nor desired for it to happen in his life and he had lived happily without knowing anything about the act of kissing. But now, he regretted not having tried this before because it felt _incredibly_ good.

Law however knew that this was getting out of hand. He understood how he should react to all this. It was expected of him to react. He should push the other away from his body and start yelling. He should punch him hard in the face for even attempt to touch him. Law knew that all of this was fucking wrong. However, when he finally reacted, it was in the way he knew he shouldn't.

Kidd was again biting his lip, the sensation almost painful, but so perfect that it sent hot chills directly to his crotch and forced a soft moan of pain from Law's lips. His mouth finally opening and giving the dragon what he desperately wanted: permission.

Kidd happily took the opportunity.

When the redhead's tongue stroked his own experimentally, Law gasped at how amazing the intimate contact felt. Unaware of everything else around him, Law closed his eyes and tilted his head up, answering the caress of the other with the same desire and need. Kidd lose control over this. The experimental touch instantly became demanding and possessive as the dragon marked every little nook of the tanned mouth with lewd licks. His actions aggressive and merciless. Law gasped into the furious kiss complete lost in it and felt the dragon press closer to him until he was flush against the wall with the dragon's wonderfully heated chest pressed against his own.

And then, Kidd introduced one leg between Law's thighs, lifting it up until his thigh rubbed deliciously against the growing bulge in the other's crotch.

Law then had to break the perfect kiss, desperate to reclaim the air that had left his lungs. He twisted his face away from the dragon's and gasped a few times, feeling his head spinning from the turn of events. He needed to push the other away from his body before they did something worse than kiss. He still had time to stop this, he _should_ stop this...

However, the dragon, taking advantage of his turned face, bowed his head and buried it against the exorcist's exposed neck, lavishing his jaw and collarbone with licks and possessive kisses, lost to passion and madness. Licking rich, dark skin as if there were no tomorrow and outlining every curve he found, the dragon's teeth even scrapped his skin as he used them to tug open the neck of Law's shirt, exposing even more golden skin for him to suck and nip. As if he wanted nothing more than to mark and claim every millimeter of warm and dark flesh that he could find.

Law contained a groan, biting at his lip and closing his eyes to the awesome feeling of the other's mouth on his flesh. His hands seemed to finally react, but instead of pushing the other away, they closed tightly around the redhead's bicep and his neck, drawing him even closer, wanting to feel Kidd's tinge map his neck in that awesome, unbelievable way.

There was something very dark about this gesture and they both knew it. Animals and predators only exposed their throats to their partners or family, no one else. It was a way of showing absolute trust in another. — Exposing one' neck, a very weak and vulnerable area, to the teeth and weapons of their partner — it could be seen as an act of submission as well as a strategic move. The neck was an intimate and sensitive area, a place for a chosen mate to lick and rub, in order to leave their scent and mark the other as their property. The gesture also acted as a warning to other predators, a signal that they shouldn't encroach on another's territory.

Law recognized that what they were doing was no different.

The exorcist felt vulnerable and unprotected for the first time in a while, the dragon's teeth walking dangerously close to his jugular as Kidd placed soft kisses along Law's skin. The human's instincts were fully alert, waiting for the anticipated attack. It was both dangerous and seductive. Kidd was licking Law's tanned flesh hungrily, nuzzling his face against the curve of the other's neck as if he was a stray cat searching for home.

However, while the dragon's bites were possessive and hard, they didn't leave the slightest bit of damage in their wake and the raven boy could only shiver after them. So Law didn't care what the other tried. He didn't mind the dragon marking him as his possession. It simply felt too damn good to care.

Squeezing the other's biceps, Law moved his hips to meet Kidd's thigh when the redhead lifted it higher between his legs, pressing it strongly against his groin. Kidd smirked at the smaller man as he put more pressure on the obvious erection the dark haired boy had in his pants, teasing him and reveling in Law's arousal as thrill of satisfaction ran through him at the feeling of the thick, hard bulge rubbing deliciously against his thigh. _He was pleasing his mate_. The dragon tortured his little human several more times by massaging and grinding into that sensitive point again and again, completely focused on his partner's enjoyment, his pace slow and torturing until the other's gray eyes were seeing nothing but blue stars.

Waves of pleasure ran through Law whenever his cock was rubbed by the rough material of his own trousers, his quick breaths turning to heavy pants as Kidd's movements continued forever, arousing him but not giving him all he needed.

Until Law finally couldn't contain the light moan escaping his mouth.

Kidd shuddered when he heard the sound and smiled arrogantly against his mate skin completely proud of himself. Law, red with shame, wanted instantly to punch him in the face. But the redhead ignored his protests and the smaller man's fingers digging painfully into his biceps and neck, and finally laid the hands that had been against the wall, on Law's gorgeously lean body. The exorcist moved again when he felt them, large and hot, on his tanned flesh, and his hips bucked to rub his hard dick against the dragon's thigh desperate for more friction.

With a new whimper escaping from his mouth by accident.

Kidd growled low in his throat, a warning that Law should just let Kidd do the work. The raven haired man trembled slightly in his arms as the sound rumbled through the dragon's chest before reverberating in his own, and as he realized that the red-haired man was rubbing his huge erection against his hip almost subconsciously. It was thick and hot, and Law couldn't help but remember the image of the other wandering naked before his eyes. His mouth watered at the pictures that appeared unbidden in his mind, fantasies of himself on his knees, taking that amazing dick in his mouth. How would the other's cock taste? How would it feel to torture the arrogant dragon with his tongue until he came? What face would he wear while reaching orgasm? Would he roar? Or perhaps he'd sob? Law gasped, feeling his body heating in seconds and his own cock throbbing painfully in his pants.

God, he wanted to do it, to lay with the dragon and lose himself in passionate heat.

But he couldn't think too hard on the idea, not when Kidd's hands stroked his chest and began undoing the buttons of the shirt he wore. The redhead's hot mouth then rose from his neck to his ear where it pulled experimentally at the golden earrings in his earlobe.

A wave of pleasure rapidly inundated Law's entire body and he whimpered, breathless, when the other nibbled around his earrings again, leaving his mark and panting heavily in his ear. Just as excited as him. Law closed his eyes and hugged the other's neck as he rode out the sudden waves of heat as the dragon's lips tugged at his earrings again. Almost obsessive. The redhead taking pleasure in driving Law mad with the small gesture, as he hoped to hear more of those amazing sounds the raven boy made. Finally a loud groan left the exorcist's throat as he pressed his hips repeatedly against Kidd's, searching for more needed friction and purchase.

"Fuck…" Law cursed under his breath.

Kidd smiled arrogantly, realizing the weakness he had just discovered, and, predictably, taking advantage of it. Law moaned again, loud and clear in the dark room, arching his back and pressing his ass against the hands of the dragon that had dropped there instantly to hold him in place. The exorcist mind was racing. What the fuck was wrong with him? Why was he getting so aroused by the other playing with his stupid earrings?

Once again, Law thought of pushing the dragon away. The notion barely resurfaced in his mind. Unfortunately, it was quickly lost among the frenzy of feelings invading his conscience and the constant pleasurable attacks he was enduring at the hands of the redhead.

When Kidd finally unbuttoned his shirt, eagerly ripping it open and practically tearing the material in the process, Law knew he was lost. His eyes closed in relief as the dragon ran eager hands down his tattooed chest with a desperate longing.

Law finally sent his inhibitions straight to hell.

This was better than anything he had done before, the redhead's body against his was just too perfect to stop. It almost looked like they were made for each other. So he just hugged the redhead even stronger by the neck and, turning his head, Law rejoined their mouths in a kiss that tasted curiously to freedom.

He'd worry and would regret later. Now, for the first time in his life, he's allow himself a little pleasure.

They stayed like that for a moment, with Law clutching the redhead's neck, and the dragon simply hugging his waist back, kissing and enjoying the warmth of the other and doing absolutely nothing to advance. Until Law run out of air and he had to separate again panting with red lips thanks to the passion Kidd put in every kiss and practically feeling them burning due to the absurd heat Kidd gives off.

Kidd meanwhile returned to sucking his neck, nibbling, biting and reviewing the marks he had left before, wanting them to never disappear. He seemed almost obsessed with it. Law gasped knowing now that the hickeys would take several weeks to fade after how much the other was insisting on them. And that, curiosity, excited him even more.

Lifting his hands, Law sank them into the red hair almost moaning at how soft and perfect it felt between his fingers. It was like pouring red silk through his hands.

From the beginning Law had wanted to touch it, he had never seen such a red colour as the dragon's hair, scarlet as blood or as the fire embers of a campfire when they were most heated. And now that he was finally funnelling his fingers through that soft hair, he didn't know what to do with them, so, clutching the sunset wicks, he strongly pulled at them experimentally.

The angry but excited growl the dragon released against his neck in response, vibrated through his body while the other strongly pressed his body against Law's refusing to get away from him. Law couldn't help but moan in response to the almost animalistic sound Kidd had emitted.

However the redhead only keep nibbling at his skin without worrying about anything Law did, letting him have fun with his hair like Kidd was doing with Law's neck. Kidd nevertheless went down and down, through his collarbone and the delicate skin of his shoulder and even down to his chest. His tongue traced the line of a pectoral, following the route of the black lines of a tattoo, and his teeth finally closed around a nipple.

Kidd bit him without mercy or gentleness, as he had been doing all this time, almost making a wound in the sensitive place. Law threw back his head hitting the wall and panting amazed by every sensation flowing through his body. Pain and pleasure were mixed in a way he had never known about. He couldn't help but move his hips until the bulge in his pants rubbed against the dragon's body in an almost pleading way.

Both groaned loudly.

Law had an erection, now without a doubt, he could feel it beginning to leak pre-come against the fabric of his tight underpants and he was just unable to do anything about it, what was just driving him nuts. Kidd however seemed to be ignoring him, Law didn't know whether he did it deliberately or inadvertently, and instead he was pinching his nipple with his teeth and dancing it in his tongue as he had been doing before with his lips. Now he bit, now he licked pleading for forgiveness. Law felt the area starting to get numb after all the attention Kidd was giving to the place, however, when Kidd finally released the dark nipple and continued down his body, the cold hit the red and hot skin and Law shivered again missing instantly the other's mouth and releasing plaintive moans.

Kidd smiled against his abs finally kneeling in front of him. His hands were still on the curve of his hips keeping them in place and, although Law's own hands were tangled in his hair in an almost possessive and demanding way, they could do little to stop the advances of his mouth over his tanned body.

Outlining tattoos and tight muscles in his stomach Kidd buried his tongue in his navel from which began the thin line of dark hair going down to his crotch. Law couldn't look away from the kneeling man at his feet and the mouth of the dragon getting closer to his cock. His mind instantly flew images of the stupid and wonderful mouth of the other finally closing around his painful erection as he himself had been wanting to do before for Kidd. Swallowing him completely till the brim, licking at it desperately and totally submitting to him. However, as if he knew what was going on through Law's mind, Kidd only stopped going down and only keeps handing wet kisses over his stomach and navel.

Tormenting him arrogantly and knowing exactly that it was affecting him.

Law groaned frustrated, pulling down the redhead's hair and urging him to get to his crotch where his cock was hurting as hell and screaming desperate for release. Kidd bit him on the hipbone making Law elicit a whimper mixed with pain that sounded quite desperate and pleading.

As if saying to Law to stay still and deny him any progress.

Law was still pinned against the wall, unable to move as he wanted, his head resting against the dark wood and squinting lost at somewhere in the ceiling. The redhead was distracting him with his tongue and the slow circles he had begun to draw with his fingers on his thighs over trousers and so close to his need. He was pissing him off on purpose and Law swore that he was going to pay. However Kidd returned to bite at his ingle, his cock throbbed in his pants and Law burst into a sea of need and desperation.

He wanted Kidd. He wanted friction or something to achieve liberation and stop the amazing pain on his cock.

"Please" he finally asked not knowing what else to do, so desperately needing the other to just do something "Kidd, please".

And with those few words the redhead finally gives in. As if he had just needed that to continue; consent, confirmation that the dark haired boy also wanted that.

Law feeling dizzy, closed his eyes when, finally, the other's mouth cruised over the line of his pants and his fingers struggled to unfasten the laces touching and rubbing his fingers over his hardened member without realizing it. Making Law get hotter and hotter as he watched the redhead's eager to reach his erection.

Law felt his body melt knowing what was coming next, just imagining what was about to happen, as he felt the last lace open free.

Kidd finally undid the damn thing and they both groaned in relief. Law promised to never wear pants with laces ever again. Then Kidd's hands furiously grabbed the clothes and pulled at his pants strongly until they fell to Law's knees revealing everything. Law sighed with pleasure feeling his dick slip free and hit the cold air of the room calming down a bit of his pain. And he groaned when he looked down and saw the golden dragon's eyes fixed on his hard member with a starved and so fucking lustful look. He was too excited the raven boy realized, he had never been so hard and was about to explode. He swore he could just cum right there without the other doing absolutely nothing but stare at him so hungrily.

Fuck.

Law released one hand from the red hair he had been grabbing and leaned against the wall behind him seeking balance and catching his breath. Separating just a moment from Kidd. His knees were shaking so much that he was about to fall, his heart was beating so fast it seemed possible it would pop out of his chest. Kidd looked at him from head to toe and then finally stopping at his narrowed eyes. The look the dragon gave him was so intense that Law didn't know what to say for a moment and just felt helpless and exposed, totally at the mercy of what Kidd wanted to do to him.

It excited him even more causing his member to throb against the dragon's face. The feeling, however, didn't last long when Kidd finally returned to land loving kisses over his navel and started going down the last few inches until finally his tongue traced a long lick over his sensitive member.

Law lost control. He needed Kidd's mouth. Containing a whimper, his hands flied and tightened on the dragon's hair until his fingers dug into his scalp hurting. But the redhead, instead of turning away from the tanned body as any intelligent person would, he completely took him in his mouth and sucked hard as his hands clenched the exposed hips keeping Law in place.

Law screamed in pleasure. The sound that escaped his mouth couldn't be described to anything. He instinctively wanted to move his hips and pump into the delicious mouth of the dragon, so hot and possessive around him. He wanted to fuck it, he wanted to release himself and get carried away by the waves of pleasure. But the redhead's hands on his hips prevented his every move and he could only moan; long and loud while the other sucked, swallowed and licked him in his mouth slowly adjusting to his cock. Law pleaded and whined as he had never done before, for Kidd to move. And, when Kidd was finally satisfied with the brown haired boy, he began moving his head, getting his cock in and out his mouth until he swallowed his member completely, Law thought he would die there for both, the same and the pleasure sweeping through his body.

Kidd's hands also started to move and, while his mouth was working him thoroughly, his hands flew to his back pressing at his bare buttocks with enthusiasm and firmness. Law arched his back in response away from the wall and rested his hands on the broad shoulders of the redheaded trying to keep up, which was becoming more and more difficult for his overstimulated body. He had never felt anything so intense, for a moment he thought he might faint right there like a spoiled lady for how powerful the experience was proving.

Kidd sucked him even stronger and Law felt his whole body shaking like a drum straining and just about to break. God, he felt completely at the edge, a little more and there would be no return, just a little more and he would finally cum in Kidd enthusiastic mouth. However, as if sensing what was happening, Kidd broke the contact a little and began leaving almost imperceptible kisses and nips over his hips, changing from the intense experience prior to that almost nonexistent caress. Law dizzy gasped, trying to regain his breath and feeling his excitement and tension turn into a need and pain of begging. Why had he stopped? Didn't Kidd see that he was about to explode? But then Kidd long hands gently parted his buttocks and his fingers began to outline his entry telling him what he was about to do.

Law, instead of getting away frightened by the action, just returned to arch his back allowing the other's finger to reach best at his entrance, and, once again, he let out supplicant groans as he tried to make Kidd's mouth meet in contact against his hard erection. Interestingly he wanted the other inside him. He didn't understand why, he had never felt such a need to fuck or to be fucked, but this time it was practically a necessity. He felt he could die if the other didn't take him right there.

It was a foreign notion to him, almost as if it wasn't one of his own and something was just forcing him to do it, but Law didn't mind it in the least, after all, it was only amplifying what he was feeling. He wanted Kidd inside him, taking, marking and just fucking him hard and rough and making him his. He needed and wanted it just in that moment. So, when the redhead finally turned to catch his cock in his mouth at the same time as a warm finger pressed against his entrance, Law couldn't do anything but press his back against it until it finally slid inside him.

Law moaned.

Kidd meanwhile sobbed desperately around his member while licking with eager and sucking his dick unable to have any more patience. The finger inside Law experimentally moved, as if exploring and opening him for what they both knew would come next. A mixture of pleasure but mostly pain clouded Law's mind and for a moment the raven boy doubted whether to press forward against the greedy and wet mouth of the dragon or pounded back against the perfect finger stuck inside him.

Kidd at his feet was increasingly losing his head. He never, in his wildest dreams, had imagined having the tanned human in that situation, and now, as he slowly prepared the boy's body to take his cock, he could only sighed in need seeing the human in that state. Law was clearly hoping to be taken by the way his hands were closing around his shoulders trying to get him closer to his own body, and how his hips moved trying to ram Kidd's mouth or ride his fingers. The human's eyes narrowed in a lost look, Kidd had never seen in him but that made his pulse race and his mind beg him to never stop doing that in his life. From his mouth came out moans that would redden even the most experienced whore and Kidd just wanted to respond with grunts and gasps of equal need.

A second finger was added to the first one inside the dark haired boy when Kidd consider it appropriate, and Law drop again one of those groans that shouldn't of been legal. The redhead felt his own erection trapped in his pants responding to the pliant sound with another twinge of pain. Kidd couldn't wait to get into the tight, wet heat he could feel in his hands. How would be to take the other? How would the boy feel inside? What face would he make? What awesome moans would he release then? Desperate Kidd licked the member of the other below the tip getting another desperate sob from the boy that tried to pump into his mouth again. Kidd finally added a third finger, introducing it to the final knuckle, opening the boy completely and looking without hesitation for the tanned boy's prostate wanting to see how Law would scream then.

When he finally pushed the point, Kidd felt Law trembling in his arms finally losing his balance, and his cock throbbing against his tongue in what would be the first spasms of an orgasm. Kidd held him in place without a problem using his arms, and the lost whimper Law dropped would remain etched in his mind for life.

However, Kidd, instead of ending the session with that and make Law finally cum in his mouth like they both so much desired, the dragon break from him and returned to stand up while cornering him against the wall again. They stared at one another for a moment. Law continued to shake spasmodically and panted heavily against his mouth, his hands were still buried in Kidd's hair and he was still half naked, fully exposed before him, and as hard as a rock. Kidd however was devouring him with his eyes and smiling arrogantly pleased with what he had achieved.

Law growled frustrated trying to continue, just wanting to get over with it, but Kidd still didn't move at all and kept smiling and waiting for the other to react.

Law finally cursed under his breath and rushed to kiss the redhead full lips, biting and sucking almost desperate. Kidd growled completely satisfied with the whole situation and instantly responded by kissing him anxiously. His hands flew back to the tanned ass again, but this time they fell to his thighs until Law had to support his weight in his body and, slightly jumping, surround his waist with his long, perfect legs leaving his pants on the ground.

Kidd charged him without the slightest problem, and kept kissing him intensely as he headed to the spongy bed covered by the layer of grayish skin. His fingers played with the exorcist exposed entrance urging and tempting him until the brown haired boy squeezed him even more and obscenely rubbed his body against his asking for more. Asking for something else.

Kidd then reached the bed, laid the tanned boy on the soft wolf fur coat and then he separated carefully from the boy to remove his own clothes. The image of a completely excited and naked Law, lying sprawled in his bed waiting for him, would be one that Kidd would always evoke on lonely nights.

But the dragon growled low in his throat as Law, instead of lying still to let him memorize his bare form, Law practically pounced out of the bed to grab the dragon shirt and impatiently raise it over Kidd's chest. Kidd helped him pushing it over his head and instantly Law was outlining the scars that covered his chest with possessive licks, and walking his hands through his hard stomach and abdominal obsessively. The redhead groaned this time strongly advising him to stop and remain still, but, as always, Law disobeyed and dropped his hands to his pants working on the bottoms skillfully.

Kidd was increasingly losing his self-control because of the tanned boy. God, his little human seemed so anxious and needed for him to take him that it was also starting to make Kidd impatient. However the dragon wanted to take it easy, he wanted to enjoy the moment and savor the dark haired boy in every way he could, he wanted to hear every gasp and taste every sigh and shiver. And also he wanted to last more than the few seconds he was going to last if the little human keep touching him. So Kidd only took the other's hands, lay the boy down on the bed again and pinned his hands without a problem in the headboard as he captured those reddened lips in another open mouthed kiss.

Law instantly surrounded Kidd's waist with his tanned and strong legs, refusing to surrender and Kidd couldn't help but rub his own trapped erection against Law's perfect body in a firm, hard movement. Allowing Law to feel how excited he also was, how equally anxious he was to be inside of him. Law in response groaned again and arched against his body causing their bodies to press tightly with each other wordlessly asking that he should move the fuck up.

"Please..." Law suddenly said against his mouth "...Please, please, I can't any more, please" he repeated tirelessly.

Kidd growled frustrated biting the tanned neck. He wanted it to last, he wanted to savor every moment, and memorize every second with the arrogant human, but deep down he was just as desperate as Law. The courting had took days, days accumulating the tension that had finally exploded, he couldn't hold much more no matter how much he wanted to do it. It was better to just let go and do it more quickly next time.

Because there would be a next time. For his sacred treasure there would be a fucking next time.

Kidd, defeated, dropped his hands to his pants, freeing Law's own hands on the headboard to undo the buttons that were still closed. Law moaned completely satisfied to see what he was doing and just opened his legs further on each side of the redhead offering to himself to the beast without lowering his tattooed hands of the headboard.

Fuck.

Kidd finally released his tight erection and, without separating just a second from the boy and without bothering to undress any further, he approached it to the perfect and pleading entry of his little human. Law circled Kidd's shoulders with his arms pushing him against the mattress, and panted heavily against his ear waiting to finally do what they both so much wanted.

However Kidd stopped. His mind again falling prey of his instinct. This was important. It was a huge step. He needed to know if Law was all right, if he also wanted this.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked hoarsely but low and softer than usual.

Law froze for a second. Kidd felt him frown, he felt the look of anger on Law's face and for a moment Kidd thought he had screwed up by reminding him of the situation they were in and it shouldn't be happening.

However the raven haired boy just answered dryly "Shut-up" And with that he moved his hips until Kidd's dick pressed against his entrance and then keep pushing until Kidd was completely buried within.

Both moaned strongly at the feeling.

Finally getting what they had been waiting for so long, their final liberation, and the final act of possession. Kidd growled at how narrow and tight the boy felt around him, at how warm and pleasant it feel to be inside him and finally make the human his. Law whimpered at how large and huge Kidd felt within him, at how satisfied he suddenly was and how perfect it felt. Both keep hugging and kissing awkwardly between gasps for air and short moans. This was just so intimate, such a deep and unique moment for both of them, but it wasn't as wonderful as it should of felt.

Kidd felt pain spreading through his chest.

Now, the redhead finally understands what was happening, why Law was doing this, he now knew the situation and what they were really doing.

This meant a lot for Kidd, for him it was important to find his mate and to make Law his partner for eternity, he may have been waiting for this and it had meant everything to him. But it wasn't the same for Law. The link was only going in one direction, he didn't felt the magic that united them.

For Law, this was just sex.

The harsh reality hit him and Kidd just stood still buried within Law perfectly and beautifully. The dragon was lying between Law's legs, his hands on both sides of his raven head holding his balance, while Law wrapped his long legs around his waist and his arms around his shoulders, tunneling his fingers through his scarlet hair possessively. Law was showing his neck to him in a gesture of submission, he has been whispering Kidd's name between gasps and all just seemed perfect, all that Kidd could ever want in a partner.

The pain still didn't go away.

Kidd was paralyzed, unable to move.

Again Law moved against him impatient, urging him to fuck his brains out, to finally finish with the stupid obsession and need that they both have for each other. Kidd reacted instinctively. He retreated slowly from the sweet heat the other was, and pound him back hard, mercilessly attacking the tanned prostate as if he had done this all his life. Law squirmed in his arms whimpering as if lost in so much pleasure. Just beautiful. Kidd repeated the movement and Law groaned again sinking his heels heavily on Kidd's back trying to change the angle so that the redhead could get deeper and deeper inside him. Kidd granted it without a problem thrusting and pushing him against the mattress in an almost animalistic way, again and again, making Law scream louder and louder at every passing second.

"K-Kidd" Law whisper against his neck like he has been doing for a while, all submissive and lost in pleasure.

Kidd looked at him. Totally trapped beneath him, panting, begging for more and completely surrendered to him thanks to the pleasure Kidd was giving him. It was what the dragon had wanted from the start, the other in his bed, moaning his name and asking him to fuck him harder and deeper.

But Kidd wasn't satisfied at all. He had Law, but not completely.

Kidd gasped burying his face in Law's neck and breathing in the warm aroma of his little human wanting to imprint it in his mind. Metal and pure magic. Kidd loved it, he loved everything about him, how he walked so elegant and powerful, or how he talked and argued with him about everything. Kidd loved him. So much that he was going crazy not to have him. Kidd continued to attack the human writhing in pleasure under him, sinking into his body as if his life depended on it, hugging him, pressing his body against the tanned one trying to merge with him, fighting against his own orgasm to extend the experience all he could.

The tanned then clawed his back drawing blood when the attacks started getting deeper and frantic. The bed creaked obscenely, Law kept moaning and Kidd knew that this was coming to an end no matter how he tried to avoid it. The old dragon kissed the dark haired boy, desperate, savoring every gasp against his mouth, every wonderful movement against his body. Kidd then felt how the younger tense, how his body arched against the mattress sticking warmly against his own chest and how his ass tighten around him until it almost hurt.

Law shouted finally reaching his orgasm and cumming heavily between their bodies.

Kidd watched him intently throughout all this time his ecstasy endured. He memorized how Law threw his head back, how his eyes closed hiding his gray delusional pools and how his body tighten completely. His legs opened even wider to accept even more of him with a fascinating flexibility, and his heels dug into the smalls of his back and in the fluffy mattress searching for release. Kidd watched him tremble with each wave of pleasure and as he spilled over and over on his stomach, holding his breath and pressing his arms against his body almost desperate gripping him by the shoulders possessively. Kidd kept thrusting into him throughout his orgasm without a pause, just as frantically and deeply as before, stroking his cheek while still barely kissing, and whispering words of encouragement.

At the end Law fell onto the bed panting heavily with red cheeks after the exercise and still trembling every time the other man lunged and skillfully brushed his prostate. His hands were again locked into the fiery red hair of the dragon without departing for a second, as if he didn't want to leave him at the moment this was over, gently stroking the scarlet streaks in an almost affectionate way.

Kidd's thrusts begun to deepened and become erratic. He wasn't going to last longer.

Law then started to gently kiss his face, forehead, eyes and the corner of his mouth, with a delicacy and devotion that made Kidd tremble as a warm feeling replaced the pain. Why was he doing that? Why now was he so cheesy? Kidd was approaching orgasm, Law was still showing him that loving side that caused butterflies in his stomach and his mind was simply too clouded.

The words just escaped his mouth.

"I love you" he whispers against the other's neck, as he held him, feeling the orgasm take him.

Kidd roared into the sudden silence that had filled the room, his mouth closed around the other's neck instinctively biting hard. Marking him as he had wanted to do in the bathroom. Claiming him as his own. Kidd sank back inside the perfect heat one last time feeling how he finally spilled inside the dark haired boy. His muscles were melting like butter while the biggest orgasm of his life tore all the strength he could have had.

It was intense, long, and the most overwhelming experience of his life.

Kidd fell over the raven boy for a moment while his mind was completely unable to do anything but breathe. His scent enveloped him, his warmth surrounded him and everything seemed perfect. Perfect and yet something was still missing. When his mind finally returned to process things and he didn't saw white, he realized that he was still lying on top of Law, but the boy, instead of he kept hugging him and give him soft kisses as he had been doing before, he was suddenly tensed and not touching him at all.

Kidd rolled into the bed beside the human and onto his back, and instantly Law sat on the mattress away from him.

Kidd said nothing, despite the need he had to re-embrace, snuggle and sleep with him, he just did nothing. He only looked at him knowing exactly what was going through his mind -that what had happened had only been the result of a fight, nothing else, the heat of the moment- now Law would regret it, now he would panic and would start screaming at him.

And besides, what the fuck? He had confessed? In the middle of sex? A dragon to the damned human that wanted to kill him? What the hell happened to his head? It was normal for Law to panic, Kidd himself was panicking. It was too soon, it was too desperate, neither of them was ready for that yet, Kidd himself was hallucinating for having said something like that.

If the other didn't want to speak to him ever again he would completely understand it.

So Kidd lay on the bed and just mentally slapped himself again and again and again. He'd screwed up big. As usual. Only he could turn a perfect situation into one he wanted to run away from. But the minutes passed and Kidd was still waiting for screams, or Law simply asking him to leave the room, with a little luck he would come out alive and with all members still attached to his body.

But Law instead did nothing.

He just sat in the bed staring at nothing on the ground, still naked for the redhead satisfaction, and still breathing heavily. Kidd realized then that Law had cleaned the remnants of cum from his chest with Kidd's shirt, and the dragon surreptitiously copied him and wiped his own cum from his body and dick trying not to bother him too much. But Law was still mulling over things in his head, over and over, and Kidd was increasingly getting nervous.

Until finally the little intelligent human dropped back on the mattress next to Kidd. The bed was small, at least it was small with Kidd in it, but still the both of them managed to lie next to each other without saying anything and still panting after the exercise.

The tense silence returned to surround them.

And Kidd couldn't help it anymore.

The redhead carefully turned in the bed until he lay onto his side and looked confused at Law. Waiting for the screams and the threats. Kidd watched the gray eyed boy lying beside him without really understanding why the boy hadn't started running after his confession and after what they have done.

"Law?" He said staring at him a bit scared for a reaction.

The other only grunted and turned to face him in bed with an annoyed face. And then, as if nothing happened, he snuggled up against his chest as if it was the best thing he could do at the moment.

"Go to sleep" he ordered in an angry tone, clearly not wanting to talk about the huge elephant in the room.

Kidd then looked at him curled up against his chest with his eyes wide, as if Law had suddenly grown a green bump in the middle of his forehead. He just stood there for a while, not understanding what was just happening, but finally he sighed resignedly and leaned against the tanned body on his arms.

Kidd knew he wasn't going to get the answers he wanted, Law wasn't going to give them to him no matter how much the redhead insisted. He was just too stubborn. And also Kidd knew he shouldn't complain about the situation, because, maybe Law might not be at the same point in the relationship as him, but at least he felt a little something for him. He wasn't killing or eviscerating him for what they had done, for stealing his virginity or some stupid crap, there wasn't shouting and cursing in strange languages, he was also allowing Kidd to sleep in his bed. He hadn't run out, he had replied to the kissing and the sex and he had even been cloying for a moment with him.

At least there was a little hope.

So he put an arm around the other's waist and cuddled him tightly pulling him against his chest. Law muttered something while hugging him, resting his head against his shoulder and nestling against his body until he found a comfortable position. Kidd protectively covered them both with the silky coat, leaned in and turns against the pillow.

And then they both fell asleep. In a deeper sleep that they had ever had and feeling satisfied and more complete than ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys but it will be no more cliffhangers on the story I think, as a reader I have ended up hating them and all the abuse some authors made of them (ejem *indirect* ejem). So you will get the whole thing or nothing, deal with it. Also I know this "situation" is a bit sudden, but I will explain Law thoughts and feelings about what just happened in next chapter (be prepared to hate me) as well as the consecuences.
> 
> Hope you guys liked the chapter...ejem*perverts*...it's my first lemon in english so be kind and leave reviews if you want more.
> 
> ～（ゝ。∂）


	11. Denial

The heat was slightly stifling when Law woke up, however, despite the strangling hug that Kidd was giving him without the slightest intention of moving, he was feeling perfectly well. Law sighed contentedly as he started to wake up and leaned further into Kidd's chest happily absorbing the ridiculous heat given off by the redhead's body. For a moment, while his mind started to make contact with the world, Law just enjoyed the moment. The way the dragon's body wrapped around his in a protective and loving contact, his tired but relaxed muscles after the first decent night of sleep he'd had in a long time, or how Kidd's breath caressed his hair and how his hands firmly clenched his waist and butt in a possessive and protective grip.

Law curiously liked how possessive and caring the dragon was, it would be nice to accept his feelings and his caress and belong to him in the same way that the dragon will then belong to Law. It would be nice to keep Kidd and forget about everything else in the world. To just be happy. They still had to solve too many things between them, but Law could already imagine a life by Kidd's side without any problem. The fantasy was so nice, they would live together in the cave, Law wouldn't need to hunt again, they would meet Kidd family, learn how to cook, make love in every corner, adopt some kid...everything would be just perfect. A dream life.

Until Law's mind finally woke up and collided with reality.

No. He wasn't an ordinary person who could leave everything in his life for a love affair, he was an exorcist, he defended the world from the evil that lurked in it. He protected people. And that was the only fact that let him sleep some nights, knowing that the murders and atrocities he committed for the church were to save defenseless people. He couldn't accept Kidd. He couldn't leave all his beliefs and ideals behind because of a mere slip he had had. So, despite everything that had happened the night before, despite the new and pleasant emotion within him after Kidd's confession, or after the way the dragon had touched and kissed him as if Law was the most precious thing he had ever had in his hands, Law lied to himself. He said to himself that this had meant nothing; it had only been a night of sex and a new way to solve their fights.

Nothing more.

Law then moved, still caught in the arms of the dragon, trying to break free. Kidd immediately protested and buried his face in his neck until his mouth brushed against the bite mark he had left there the night before. Law trembled instantly at the contact, when an electric current went through his whole body heating it again. Kidd instantly purred in satisfaction at Law's response and at the confirmation of his ownership over the little human, making Law blush and glare at the beast as a murder urges resurfaced in his mind. Intensely. However, when the exorcist contained himself and tried again to just come free from his embrace, Kidd just grunted, annoyed, and let him go from his arms.

The exorcist watched him roll on the bed and go back to sleep, now clearly pissed because Law wanted to leave his side, but still freeing him and allowing him to leave if Law wanted to. Without the slightest hesitation. Giving him total freedom to do what he wanted.

Again the box where Law had locked the useless feelings for the dragon threatened to break and release them.

The exorcist then got out of bed quickly, running away from the dragon and the feelings he refused to feel for several reasons. The cold air suddenly enveloped him and Law shivered slightly, wanting instantly to return to lie in bed with Kidd and take refuge in his warmth. He suppressed the desire instantly. Waking up even more, he paced in the room completely naked until he found his clothes from last night next to the wall.

Freezing cold and with a blank mind, he dressed trying to ignore the problematic situation he was into.

He could repress his emotions all he wanted as he had always done, he could escape from his feelings for Kidd like he had done for days, but that still couldn't avoid the biggest problem he had now: the church. He had broken his vow of chastity. The first rule of all the damn code just below that one of _'If you break the code you're dead'_. If the church found out, his problem with the sudden feelings he had for Kidd would be nothing compared to what would come up. Because he hadn't only broken the vow, no, he had done it with his enemy and alleged victim, not with some ordinary girl, but with a fucking damn male dragon. He would be killed as no one had been killed before, they would curse and excommunicate him, he could become the king of fucking Hell for all he knew.

Law started trembling, having a little a little panic attack. What the hell was he going to do now? He couldn't kill Kidd now and bring his head to the Vatican as a trophy, as a way to silence the only witness who had seen him do the worst thing ever. Something told him that he would be just unable to deliver the final blow to the man sleeping peacefully in his bed. So what did he do now? he could always lie and make up a story. Yeah, lying was okay, and then he could run away and hide under the dragon's treasure like the damn little shit he was.

Law sighed, running his hands over his face, knowing he had to calm down to think like a normal person. Unfortunately the events of the night before were still too recent in his mind, the heat of the dragon in his bed was still making his skin pull painfully at him, only wanting to throw himself back to where the redhead sleep and sink back into his arms.

Law took a breath, forcing himself not to think. He didn't want to think about how incredibly wonderful the sex have been. He didn't want to think about the future. He didn't want to think about the church. He just needed to relax and not think about anything. So, for the first time in his life, he didn't analyze the situation as he had been taught to do. He didn't roll his different problems in his mind to get different viable conclusions that might work and repair everything. He didn't think about second plans, nor the consequences of the various actions that could be taken. He simply ignored his problems as he was ignoring their feelings.

As he recently ignored everything.

Still naked except for his boxers, the exorcist get out of the room and walked toward the kitchen with fast and almost desperate steps. He was going to cook the damn breakfast. He wasn't good at cooking, he didn't like it and although he had memorized several recipes for his missions, he just didn't understand the pleasure that some people took in doing it. However, the task would keep his mind occupied like he wanted and it wouldn't be too intense an exercise for his tired muscles.

And for the first time in a long time, Law was starving and, although he didn't want to accept it and it made him blush, he suspected why.

.

.

.

Law grabbed the pan by the handle, and, with a quick turn of his wrist threw the pancake into the air. The small piece of dough, gave a perfect lap in the air before falling ominously and landing with a soft thud on the floor. Just on the side where the little bitch was still liquid and sticky.

The tic on Law's eyebrow reached biblical proportions and, for a moment he just wanted to send the pan and the small wood and steel stove where he was cooking, to Hell. Cooking was relaxing? Bullshit. The small kitchen was a mess and it was just a simple recipe for pancakes, he had had to put flour, he had had to add eggs, milk and little more. He didn't understand how half the flour had ended over the counter, or how the sugar had ended over him, he didn't even understand how the eggs were now cracked on the floor in a strange pudding with milk. He was clever, he knew how to survive in any environment, and could definitely make some stupid pancakes.

So the mess wasn't his fault, the fault lay on the eggs that broke just by Law looking at them, on the flour that created white clouds when Law wasn't delicate enough with it, and on the rusty pan that burned the dough, creating the disaster of the century. Law sighed, frustrated. Cooking was the only thing he couldn't do no matter how much he practiced, and it had always annoyed him. Everyone could cook, but apparently he, the exorcist that killed mythological creatures, couldn't. So life was fun and pretty.

The raven haired boy watched the little silver platter by the fire where some of his experiments had survived. They were only a handful of pancakes, less than six, and half of them were burned or looked kind of strange, not very edible, but at least it was better than nothing. Law almost felt proud of them.

But he needed to cook more, he had seen the dragon eat and that little amount of food definitely wasn't even enough for one person. So Law picked up the bowl of dough again, poured his content on the heated pan and extended it, praying for it not to explode in his face again.

And that's when lazy hands circled around his waist, and a mouth began spreading licks on his neck insistently focusing on the dragon's bite the redhead had left there the night before. Law trembled and stiffened instantly on the embrace while his stomach jumped in his chest, slightly excited.

"Do you have something against my kitchen?" the dragon then asked, squeezing the exorcist against his chest almost carelessly, and talking with the husky voice of someone who just got up.

Law closed his eyes, trying to regain the composure he had lost for a moment when he had felt the other's mouth slightly grazing his earlobe, almost accidentally. And then he realized, slightly alarmed the situation he was in. Naked except for his boxers, and in the middle of the kitchen of the beast that had fucked him last night, making him breakfast. He could have spread his legs, sat at the table and pleaded for Kidd to take him just there, because the interpretation was going to be the same in both situations.

This definitely wasn't his day.

Law squirmed in the grip of the older, realizing that Kidd, unlike him, had at least put some pants on. The contact of the beast's chest against his own back reminded him of last night's activities, and each slight contact between their naked skins was causing Law to shiver, but at least the dragon still had his dignity intact and was still dressing like a normal person.

"Get your hands off my body if you don't want me to cut them." Law said ignoring the dangerous question the dragon had made, and glaring, offended, at the dragon's hands that kept roaming over his stomach, instantly going south.

Kidd just laughed against his ear hugging him even closer but obediently stopping his advances. His mouth however returned to play with the earrings on his ear distributing loving bites and playful pulls with his lips, and Law quickly found himself starting to breathe with difficulty.

"Yesterday you didn't seem to care too much what my hands were doing." Kidd again said hoarsely but playfully in his ear.

Immediately Law's mind was filled with images of what Kidd's hands had done the night before. A frustrated moan escaped his throat and Kidd returned to enthusiastically lick at his neck with long and sweet strokes of his tongue. Law gasped unconsciously leaning against the muscled and pale chest at his back in a submissive and content gesture, but the redhead didn't take advantage of his dizzy state nor did he make a move, instead Law just felt Kidd's hands seize his owns in a firm but delicate grip. For a moment the exorcist thought the redhead would immobilize him there and would fuck him in the spot, not caring about anything else, but Kidd just moved his hands over his own making the pan Law was grabbing flip and throw the pancake in the air.

This time the dough piece made another perfect lap on the air but fell right in the center of the pan in a perfect movement, showing then a caramel color on the surface that practically begged to be eaten.

Law frowned as his human pride crashed into tiny pieces. The heat and the presence of dragon at his back distracting him, vanished in an instant and the black haired boy just glared at the pancake in the fire.

"How did you do that?" Law asked looking at the dragon who now had his chin on his shoulder and was looking at the perfect pancake almost bored.

The redhead looked at him raising an amused eyebrow at the question and shrugged.

"Applying the sixth physical law of motion" he ironically answered with a smirk on his mouth. Law instantly shot him a look that would kill the Devil and the dragon laughed nervously. Okay, he didn't know what his little human had against the food but it seemed to be a delicate issue. No jokes. "It's only coordination." he quickly said, returning to look at the lonely pancake in the pan.

Law continued glaring at him. The redhead gulped, suddenly feeling too nervous, and just kept moving Law's hands to retire the already made pancake and add one more to the fire, pretending the whole time he wasn't feeling how the other pierced his skull with a deadly glare.

"I _have_ coordination." Law said seriously after a long moment. "Do you think I don't have coordination?" Law suddenly asked in a tone that indicated that Kidd could die if the boy didn't like the answer he gave.

Kidd looked at him without understanding how he could twist his words to that end. And people thought women were crazy? Well they should meet his proud boy, they were saints compared to him.

"No!" he quickly answered with an absolutely convinced tone. And with just that, Law send him a triumphant look and seemed to relax in his arms. Kidd sighed, relieved, but suddenly feeling way too tired. "But after what we did yesterday I'm surprised you are even able to walk. Let alone cook." he mumbled to himself. Although, with the short distance with how close they were, Law heard it perfectly and instantly tensed and pulled his tattooed hands off Kidd's.

He then turned into the embrace until he was facing him with a tortured, angry and totally embarrassed look. "Can't you leave the issue just this once?" he asked, angry and frowning but clearly nervous and just adorable.

Kidd just looked at him, confused for a moment at the sudden change of attitude from murderous to embarrassed, but in the end, he finally understood what was happening and just smirked. Kidd then cornered the little human between his body and the small wood stove where they were making breakfast.

"Why? Do you get uncomfortable when I talk about how I fucked you yesterday? Or how I made you scream and beg?" he said, approaching the dark haired boy all he could and even more, until his face was millimeters from the boy's.

Law gasped with a surprised look.

"Yes." the little human responded with an angry tone and a deep blush on his cheeks. And Kidd then couldn't help but smile triumphantly when the boy's eyes dropped to Kidd's mouth and unconsciously licked his lips, as if he was remembering something pleasant. "...and I didn't beg, your imagination might have cheated your non-existing brain." he said without taking his eyes off Kidd's lips despite everything he said.

Kidd stepped closer to him and looked into his gray eyes ready to continue torturing and stealing more reactions from that amazing boy. Law gulped at their proximity feeling again like a trapped prey that was about to be eaten. "Do you know what personal space is or it's also too complex a concept for your brain?" the exorcist tried again, getting more and more nervous to the dragon hungry eyes.

And then Kidd couldn't help it.

"Last night you didn't seem to have any problem with the space betw-..." And suddenly Kidd was unable to speak when one of the pancakes on the silver plate next to the fire entered his mouth, almost choking him and cutting off his airflow. Law hands also covered his mouth closing it and forcing him to swallow and stop talking.

Kidd just blinked in confusion as he watched the defiant look Law was giving him. As daring him to say something more about what had happened.

Kidd smiled, totally amazed by the situation. This was so much fun. The dark haired boy was so innocent in some aspects. Kidd began to chew slowly the pancake in his mouth without taking his eyes away from Law. Slowly savoring and swallowing the burned pancake and feeling, during the process, the tanned hands on his lips and the human pulse quickening by seconds.

It was then, when Law took his hands off his mouth, when Kidd quickly stopped the motion catching one tanned wrist and, smiling evily, he opened his mouth and began liking the tattooed fingers with his tongue in the most obscene way he could. The boy tasted of the sugar dough and the delicious blend of textures that his skin only had, but what amused the dragon the most was the face of utter surprise and horror his little human made, as if he was now realizing his huge mistake. However his breathing suddenly quickened and his eyes were glued to what Kidd's mouth and tongue were doing, clearly remembering what that same mouth had done the night before. Kidd almost purred victoriously, and finally let go of the tanned hand.

"More." he said, licking his lips slowly and then giving the stunned boy a jar of raspberry jam next to the messy ingredients in a clear hint.

The look Law sent him at the act, a mixture of anger and desire, always would serve to remind him what he could achieve if he had faith in himself.

.

.

.

Law wanted to dismember Kidd. He had been wanting to do it for a long time, but now it was the culmination of the idea. He had planned how to do it, he knew how to corner him, slit him with the knife from the kitchen and kill him. Unfortunately killing him wouldn't solve the problem between his legs and he knew it, so, instead, he was just content throwing punches at the dragon's jaw.

Kidd, meanwhile, just dodged him with that condescending smile he had had all morning, Law gritted his teeth, frustrated, but without worrying about anything he threw another kick to the dragon's head. This time the redhead had more trouble avoiding the quick hit, but still with a quick feint and an equilibrium exchange, he was out his reach.

They had been training together for a long time. At first it has only been Law training, practicing his daily routine with absolute concentration and calm, but then Kidd had appeared in the small, dusty room of the last time, and without saying anything, they had started training together. And it had gone well at first, both moving against each other trying to derive or immobilize the adversary with strong and agile movements of people that had spent a lot of time practicing them and have confidence in what they did. Law had understood how the dragon moved, he had begun to read him and although Kidd seemed to have been holding back slightly since he hadn't taken out the claws or magic tricks, Law had thought the small amount of time have been at least productive.

At least until both had had to remove their shirt in the heat of the Japanese room to continue practicing. When the shirt he had worn had fallen on the floor, Law had seen how the dragon's eye had suddenly become serious and calculatative while a lopsided grin had spread across his face. Law had frowned at the change, but then he had only rushed, without giving it to much thought, to fight again against the other.

And then his torture had begun.

Kidd had suddenly become too fast for his hands to grab or his legs to kick him and the dragon simply slipped between his fingers whenever he thought he had trapped him. But the worst thing was that the dragon, rather than attack him, was devoting himself to tease him.

Law relaunched himself with his hand ready to punch, Kidd ducked it, stepped forward then turned and finally stopped at Law's back. And, as has been occurring in the last minutes of their little fight, huge hands surrounded his waist, crashing his body into the dragon's hard strong chest, and a hungry mouth closed in the gap between his neck and shoulder, sinking teeth into his skin, in a hot, wet kiss.

Law moaned, frustrated, throwing his head back and giving more space to the dragon's mouth, but also throwing an elbow against the huge chest behind him. Kidd moved again, and Law's arm ended up suspended in the air completely useless. The brown haired boy faced the dragon and glared at him. Law wanted to train, not to sleep with the bastard again, but things were starting to become blurred in his mind at each passing second and at each new move of the redheaded.

Kidd for his part just smiled satisfied licking his lips.

Law returned to pounce on him in an attempt to bring him down in an intricate combo, more displeased at each passing second with the attitude of the arrogant man. Kidd dodged him like a bullfighter dodges a bull and Law lost his balance slightly. And again there was the redheaded. Grabbing him before he fell, with one hand around his waist and squeezing his ass possessively without shame.

"Mmm, perfect." Kidd said almost purring "Why don't we also take off our pants? Don't you want to fight naked against me? Like in ancient Greece?" He said without taking his hand from his ass.

Law blushed instantly and his cock throbbed in his pants insistently. They had been like this all day, Kidd teasing him again and again with cheap phrases or stupid interesting ideas and Law pretending not to hear anything he said and hiding his excitement the best he could. He felt like Kidd was hunting him. The thing had began at breakfast, with Law feeding the dragon with his hands and the misinterpretable jam, and Kidd eating in the most obscene way someone could possibly eat, licking his fingers in a way that Law thought for a moment that he was going to swallow them and moaning and grunting like an animal in heat. Interestingly Law had done nothing to stop it, and without resistance, he had continued feeding the dragon pancake after pancake while Kidd keep cooking them in the pan with Law still in his arms, and occasionally giving some bites to Law with his hands and the sticky jam.

When they had finished with the dough and there were no more, they had collected the disaster and then Law had fled to his room to hide his erection and obvious excitement. Kidd had followed him, of course, not leaving him the slightest moment of intimacy and provoking him all he could with double meaning words or hot looks. The exorcist had felt frustrated and unable to do anything to solve the problem between his legs, but at least he had gotten dressed and Kidd's glances had reduced their intensity considerably, which helped a lot with the main problem.

But now, with the dragon stroking his back almost with devotion, Law returned to wonder how on earth had he ended up like this. Returning to straighten in Kidd's grip, he grabbed the arm around his waist, turned and threw the dragon over his body and into the ground. Then, he quickly sat on top of the redhead, striding his hips and trying to immobilize him with his hands.

"Always so eager." Kidd whispered with the eternal double meaning. Law frowned, still trying to catch the other's hands as they strolled skillfully though his chest outlining the hikeys of the previous night around his nipples. Almost proud of them "I told you before that until tonight I'm not going to do anything, we can't have sex all day honey, one has his limits."

Law growled, frustrated and angry. Because it was true. Kidd had been taunting him, warming and exiting him at every minute, but he hadn't done anything else. Absolutely nothing, and Law had begun to get frustrated with it. As much as he had control over his body and mind thanks to the training he had received, he was still human and he still had his limits. But he would not beg, after this morning's discussion he refused to beg for anything.

So instead he also attacked the dragon in the same way he was doing it, and for the first time in the whole day.

"Of course." Law replied "It's just that some people limits are unfortunately much _smaller_ than others. It's normal to feel unsatisfied, darling, don't you agree?" and to emphasize his words he moved his hips against the dragon's beneath him in a clear indirect.

Kidd's face instantly went from fun and prideful to one of anger and confusion. Law smiled victoriously and finally managed to immobilize Kidd as his fingers closed around the dragon's neck in a death grip.

"Got you." He finally said, laughing. In the end it has been easier to catch him than what he had thought.

Kidd however raised a sarcastic eyebrow at his comment. "Are you sure?" he asked, making Law frown, not understanding what the dragon meant. Until Kidd returned to raise his hips and press them against the obvious erection on Law's pants.

Law moaned helplessly into the desired contact and his whole body trembled in response. Kidd then was released from his weakened grip without problem, and pushed Law to the ground repeating Law's own attack and sitting on top of the brown haired boy while still rubbing his body against the boy's erection. Law writhed on the floor gasping and eyes narrowing with pleasure at the dragon above him.

"Law honey, no matter how _small_ an opportunity might seem, you can't give it to your enemy or he would _use_ it on you. You have to grab me harder if you want to win." and again the double meaning and the innuendo while Kidd kept rubbing against him so perfectly that Law thought he could just come right there.

"Okay, whatever you want, the next time I will castrate you. _Hard._ " Law concluded, tired of the double meaning and with a mind too stimulated from pleasure to think properly.

Kidd chuckled as he leaned over him until their faces were millimeters away, like a predator stalking the prey he knew was just about to fall in his paws.

"Don't be so radical." Kidd said "You know you like this." he answered, finally rejoining their lips in an anxious but calm and slow kiss, tasting him thoughtfully as if he needed it to live. Law didn't resist this time, and quickly he was responding just as needed.

But still he refused to answer the other's last sentence.

.

.

.

Law groaned again loud and clear when the other thrusted back into his body in a strong attack. The sound reverberated pornographically on the walls of the water flooded cave and disappeared to be replaced by a new one. Law meanwhile clung to the wet rock in front of him trying not to slip and fall into the water at his waist.

They had barely reached the bathroom from the training room. Kissing, touching and pushing one another into the walls in an attempt to control the situation. Law didn't know where or when he had lost his clothes, but when they reached the huge pool, Kidd had warmed the water, took him in his arms, and had pulled him into the transparent liquid claiming that both needed a bath.

The truth is that they had done everything but bathing.

Law had his arms and elbows on the stone wall and his back arched while Kidd pounded him in an almost wild rhythm. The redhead behind him had a hand on his waist with his fingers tightly digging into his skin, and his other hand closed around his neck tilting it in a dominant gesture. His teeth were digging again into the wound that he had give him last night in his neck, in an attempt for it not to vanish.

Law couldn't stand this anymore. He had been all day feeling frustrated and excited, and now, finally, Kidd had conceded and was bulling his prostate almost obsessively, trying to make Law moan even louder and scream him name. So the exorcist quickly found himself about to come just there with only a little action.

His hands trembled as one of the waves of pleasure announcing the start of orgasm ran through his body again, and his legs slipped instantly into the bottom of the pool making him fall from that perfect position. But again Kidd returned to raise him and lift him into the air as if he weighed nothing. The dragon grabbed his knees from behind and lifted him so that he sat in his arms above the water with his legs spread and his back bumping against the dragon's chest.

Law opened his eyes, too embarrassed by that degrading posture. He was totally immobilized by Kidd, he couldn't close his legs thanks to Kidd's hands behind his knees pinning them in the air and making his entrance and erection fully exposed between his legs and trembling at the cold air of the room.

Law barely tried to come closer to the wall, tried to regain some balance for Kidd not to hold him completely and so he could close his legs, but then Kidd slammed his huge dick back into him with a loud thud and the position was so perfect that Law just melted in the dragon's arms between moans of pleasure.

Kidd was dominating him completely, Law realized, without letting him do anything, only fucking him and holding him still as if he didn't need him to do anything else. He was refusing to let Law feel anything but the redhead's body against his, waking every nerve ending he had. Claiming him. The dragon seemed to be acting on instinct, Law thought for a moment, when the redhead's teeth closed again around the wound on his neck for the eighth time in the day.

_Marking him._

The electricity again flooded Law from his neck and went straight to his painfully hard erection. Law then came, legs open in mid-air and spilling on the wall in front of him. Without having even touched his dick at all, only with the hands of the dragon on his body and his possessive mouth on his neck while the redhead pulled in and out of his body violently.

When the orgasm came, Law desperately tried to hold on to something, to grab anything for release, but there was nothing to hold. Only Kidd. Law leaned his head against the dragon's shoulder while everything around him burst into a white light and his body disappeared beneath the waves of pleasure, completely tense.

He could felt the dragon snarling against his body also reaching his limit with a final and perfect thrust. Hard and deep that brushed his prostate with just too much skill. Law returned to whine in Kidd's arms while a second wave of pleasure passed over him leaving him breathless and felling the other one coming inside him, oh so perfectly.

And then he heard it loud and clear in his head.

_"I love you ... I love you"_

Law closed his eyes worried and started having a slight panic attack. This was the second time. This could no longer be called an accident. The dragon had said it clearly. He really meant it.

Kidd then carefully returned to take him down into the water, still buried inside of him and without stopping kissing the bleeding wound on his neck. Caring for him and attending him despite how violent and dominant the act has been this time.

Law only shivered again after every little caress on his hypersensitive skin without saying anything. Just letting him do whatever he wanted.

He didn't know what to say. What was he supposed to say after that? The mix of warm feelings, of panic and doubt was still inside him. He couldn't answer because he didn't know how he felt. The panic was still there, along with the fear of the church and the new and strange situation where they were. It was all going so fast, he had never done anything like this with anyone, he had no references and he didn't know what the consequences would be or how it would affect him. How would he feel if Kidd betrayed him in the end and hurt him. What if all this was just a joke for Kidd? A one night stand? How did he know if Kidd wasn't like this with everyone? If he declared his love for each person with whom he slept? How could Law trust him?... But on the other hand it was nice to feel wanted, to feel needed, it had been long since he have had so much fun as today, the dragon was amazing, sex was amazing, he hadn't slept so well and quietly as he had done in the dragon's cave.

But everything was going very fast. Law still didn't trust him, he still had too many questions, there were still too many problems to overcome.

Law sighed without knowing what to do, not knowing how to react. So the dark haired boy just turned his head and caught Kidd's insistent lips in a calm and intense kiss, taking his time and trying to reassure the dragon who was again smacking his neck with nervous and desperate kisses waiting for a reaction on his part. When their tongues met again Kidd sighed, instantly relaxing. As if he didn't need anything more than that, as if he didn't need Law to return his feelings, just glad for Law to be there and not go out running, as if his presence alone could make him happy.

Kidd then separated from him and smiled stupidly with a warm, loving and happy smile. Still with wet hair, still breathing hard, with red cheeks and his hands around Law not wanting to separate and break the moment. Law took his eyes away from him, a warm and pleasant sensation spreading through his chest again.

What was he getting into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kidd is so cute~
> 
> Next chapter will be intense and the fun will start (at least for me muhaha)
> 
> See you folks
> 
> (ﾉ´∀｀*)ﾉ


	12. Surprise

The small room where they were was very hot for Kidd's liking. The whole cave was already warm enough thanks to the magma inside the earth, but the room in which they where now, in the seldom used parlor, was one of the hottest rooms in the whole cave. It was small, with thick walls of yellowish mud and colorful fabrics hanging from low ceilings. Kidd wouldn't be able to transform in the room no matter how much he tried, and, being so small, the little room kept the heat pretty well. Thick fluffy silk rugs on top of each other were piled on the floor in an Arabic style, and embroidered and overstuffed cushions were scattered alongside the low round tables of wrought metal. Everything in this warm small room was inspired by the remote region of Arabia and even the heat that the room already had, helped creating the illusion.

Still, despite the stifling heat of the parlor, Law had lit the fireplace in the center of the room, where the smoke rose and disappeared into a hole in the roof between the luxurious fabrics that covered it. And there, by the fire, almost cooking himself alive, Law was lying on the floor on a pile of pillows, with a book in his hands. Reading without saying anything and comfortably wrapped in the oven created around him, as if the heat didn't affect him in the slightest.

The dragon stared at him from a distance. Kidd was lying on a low couch, at a safe distance from the dark haired boy and still completely naked after their last invigorating sex session. He watched as the boy turned the pages with long fingers that a while ago had been on his person drawing soft gasps from him with a master's skill, as his silver eyes looked totally focused on his reading about medicine and how the boy occasionally rubbed his hand over the bite mark on his elegant neck.

_His mark._

Interestingly, despite the slight arousal that ran through him whenever he could see his little human touching the mark, the dragon was too relaxed and calm to try to do anything about the temptation before him. In addition, the curious domestic scene they were living, -both relaxing by the fire just enjoying each other's company- one that could be repeated in any home and in any family, reassured a part of his mind that was too tense with the whole situation.

Because, although they have been fucking all week until late night, although they have been eating from the other's hand and sleeping practically glued to each other -especially on the redhead's end -and although it could be the perfect situation in every way, Kidd remained tense with some details of the relationship.

Law still didn't answer when Kidd said he loved him, on the contrary, he only tensed and kept to himself without speaking or responding. Kidd didn't know what to think, the situation was clearly moving forward, they practically did everything together now, eating, bathing, sleeping... but still it wasn't enough, Kidd wasn't satisfied, the barrier was still there. Sex was wonderful, of course, Kidd had never had a partner like Law, someone who responded to every little touch with those intense moans, or that just seemed to be made for him to take, to kiss, to embrace or just fit perfectly in his arms. And although both were clearly satisfied with the situation, without exchanging anything but groans and moans throughout the day, without talking, and avoiding any controversial subject, just having sex again and again, Kidd couldn't help wanting something more.

And that's why the redhead had decided to do something for Law.

A surprise or something Law would like and that would finally give him the last push to cease to withdraw into himself and finally accept his feelings and complete the link that was now more evident between them. To finally accept Kidd.

It had to be something that would make him immensely happy and would put a smile on his face. The final movement. But it also should be a statement of his intent, something that showed the dark haired boy that he was serious, that he wasn't joking and that this wasn't just an affair. He needed to show Law that he could trust him because Kidd would never hurt him, because internally Kidd suspected that this was the problem with the dark haired boy: that he didn't trust him at all, that when he said he loved him, Law only saw lies and falsehoods and that was why he closed himself off no matter how much the redhead insisted. He simply didn't believe his words and they only did more damage whenever Kidd repeated them.

So he needed a gift.

Unfortunately Kidd didn't know what to give him. Gifts clearly hadn't worked as he had wanted last time, the tanned boy didn't seem to want anything material or at least nothing he could offer.

He had thought about letting him go outside of the cave, on taking him to the village as he had asked the last time, but Kidd was still too reticent to the idea. He would not risk even in the slightest, the link that was now beginning to establish itself between them, and that was still too weak for anything. He didn't want to remind him of old problems and send everything to hell in mere seconds. Moreover, now that they were approaching a crucial moment in their relationship in which the bond was about to set when Law finally accepted him, Kidd was at his limit. He was too possessive and overprotective with the gray eyed boy. His instincts keep screaming at him to fuck the human, to convince him to stay next to him and close the link between them every few minutes, and therefore, Kidd didn't know how he might react if he found Law just talking or in the company of another human and not himself.

If he saw him smiling or joking with anyone but him.

So no, until the link was fully formed and they trusted one another, until Kidd knew that Law wouldn't try to escape and wouldn't suffer any damage if they go outside, the dragon would not bring him outside the cave and would not expose his little human to the dangers of the outside world.

Kidd knew he was getting paranoid with the stupid mating ritual. He virtually treated Law as if he was made of glass and almost didn't let him do anything, Law was starting to look at him in a bad way and Kidd began to suspect that the argument that 'Law had shattered his kitchen last time' that the dragon used whenever the boy protested against his presence at his side, had ceased to be valid some time ago.

But he couldn't help being overprotective. It was always like that. Couples who initiated the mating became too possessive and irritable with strangers while the bond was forming. It was the magic's effect. All that mattered was to get their mate . The problem was that the feeling of protectiveness and the compulsion to get the other just for themselves increased every day so that, at the end, they couldn't resist the link. Just falling to the inevitable. There were men who had killed their family when they had found their partner with their father or their brother in the same room, possessiveness and instinct always driving them mad until the link was established and there was no turning back or escape, and thus threats from other predators ceased to exist.

That was always the problem, if one of the two parts halves of the couple didn't feel the link, the other half could go mad waiting for the union to be established, as the possessiveness and need to protect the other would drive them mad. Kidd had started to feel those feelings inside him, emotions multiplied thousand times like a woman with the her fucking period. He often knew he wasn't acting rationally, especially during sex, he keep marking Law with possessive love bites and hickeys, he fucked him again and again until the boy was left unconscious from the pleasure of his twenty orgasms, with his name on his lips and the smell of the dragon covering his body completely. But at least Kidd knew he wasn't approaching the point of madness and murder. Yet.

Anyway, the sooner the better ; to establish the link would leave them both quieter and relaxed. At least Kidd wouldn't try to fuck Law till his twentieth orgasm anymore. Kidd doubted that he could keep up with this rhythm much longer and he was starting to worry about the human's health. He didn't know if someone could die from excessive sex, but surely they wouldn't take long to find out at this pace.

So he had to think of a damn decent gift.

Kidd returned to observe the dark haired boy read the old and yellowed parchment, observing again how he kept sucking his thumb to turn the page and how his hand again unconsciously rubbed the mark he had left on his neck a moment ago. Instantly his blood boiled stupidly hotter than it already was in the heat of the room, and his pulse quickened, wanting to approach the tanned human and return to screw him on the floor hard and quick, he wanted to feel his mouth on his, to hear his pleas and taste his soft _golden_ skin with his...

And then he had an idea, well, he didn't know if he could call it a plan and he didn't know if it would work at all, but it was something Kidd had wanted to do for some days. And this was the best thing that he could think of with Law's temptation in front of him.

.

.

.

Law blindly groped the deep darkness around him as he was moved by the redhead. With the blindfold over his eyes Law walked in the dragon cave, increasingly lost in the recesses of the vast cavern with absolutely no reference to guide him. He could take the band off, but he would still be lost in shadows as there wasn't the slightest hint of light or a remote sound except for his footsteps and the dragon's ones against the cobbled stone floor. The air down there was increasingly dense, typical of places that have been left alone for centuries without being walked in or explored, and just that was unsettling for an exorcist like him, trained to be alert and aware of his surroundings.

Law, slightly worried, squeezed the dragon's hand that guided him quietly in the dark. He didn't see, hear, nor feel anything. This was the first time he had allowed someone to blindfold him and guide him in the dark, the first time he trusted someone so deeply, the first time he has been left totally helpless and at the mercy of one of his enemies by choice. And still he didn't have the slightest fear or doubt and he still had relied on the dragon when the redhead had put the blindfold over his eyes saying he wanted to show him a surprise and had led him to a part of the cave he couldn't remember having set foot into.

Moreover, when he had already accepted that he had to put up with the black cloth over his eyes without taking it off, a terrible curiosity had emerged in his mind. Curiosity, that has been growing more and more until a white light had filtered through the fabric of the band and Law hadn't been able to contain himself and asked for the eighteenth time "Where are we going?" and the echo of his voice instantly expanded in the silence of the place with a macabre sound.

However Kidd only laughed in front of him and suddenly stopped, causing Law to inevitably collide with his strong back. Then the redhead pulled at his hand until Law was by his side, and then, while Law tried not to trip over the invisible rocks on the floor, Kidd lifted him into the air and took him in his arms like a damsel in distress.

"Be a little more patient." said the voice of the dragon right in front of his face.

That was pretty frustrating, Law wanted to take the band off his eyes and see the dragon, he wanted to be lost again in those strange golden eyes or in the smirk he felt in his voice. But then Kidd began to walk with him in arms approaching the yellow, bright light. Law then, returning to the world and realizing what was happening, tied to resist and tried to pull at the humiliating grip and plant his feet on the ground as the proud man who was perfectly healthy and capable of walking by himself. He won't tolerate to be treated like a crystal glass, as the dragon had been determined to do lately. However Kidd instantly squeezed him against chest and kissed him again intensely as he continued walking calmly without leaving him the slightest chance to escape from his arms.

"Let me go." Law ordered, gasping as the other separated from his mouth after a long time, but not resisting the holder's grip anymore. There was something in the redhead's kisses that just cut his train of reasoning.

"No, be quiet, if you fall and hit the ground you will get hurt." Kidd quickly explained, still depositing soft kisses on his mouth and forehead.

Law in response to his words slightly shifted in Kidd's arms, uneasy about the place where the redhead was taking him. Why he couldn't step on the floor? There were snakes? poison? And why could Kidd?

Still, Law obeyed, he didn't complain again and just slipped his arms around Kidd's neck, leaning against him patiently, trying to hold off his damn curiosity with the dragon's kisses.

The light then grew brighter as they approached what appeared to be a huge cavity, or so Law though from what he could hear from the echo of Kidd's footsteps on the floor. A slight heat and the smell of something burning began to surround him and Law started to worry about what was going on. He could rely minimally on the dragon after the week they had spent together, but everyone had a limit and his instincts was now shouting "danger" until it broke their vocal chords.

"Kidd?" The exorcist asked, increasingly tense.

"It's okay," the redhead quickly said, rubbing his nose warmly against his neck trying to calm him down a little more "we're almost there."

Law said nothing, but he still jumped when a slight hiss, like something burning, reached his ears from below and a wave of heat hit him hard. Burning. Almost burning his skin from how hot the air around him was. Law still said nothing and just let Kidd walk with him in his arms, barely enduring the absurd heat around him.

After what seemed like several minutes, the hiss at his feet and heat suddenly stopped and disappeared, then replaced by the blinding light and the sound of something metallic sounding at every step Kidd took. Law frowned again, wondering where he was. Kidd hadn't said anything despite his insistence and Law had no clue where he was, he was totally lost in this new environment where he didn't know what to expect.

While Law keep his thoughts still spinning in his head, Kidd finally stopped and then, carefully, helped Law to the floor. Again the sound of something metallic spread across the place, breaking the silence, and the strange roar that enveloped them seemed to increase.

"Here we are." Kidd announced behind him, helping Law to maintain his balance in the unknown place with a firm hand on his waist.

Law, hearing his words, quickly put his hands on the band over his eyes, too curious to keep it there a moment longer. What would it be? Why the mystery? Was it something bad? Something macabre?

Unfortunately, before he could do anything, Kidd stopped him, anticipating his movements and laughing, amused by his impatience. Law knew he was behaving like a little boy with all this game, but he couldn't help it, he had always been so curious, and besides, what lay ahead must be something importantto the redhead because, instead of jumping at him when he had put on the blindfold -and as Law internally has been waiting for- Kidd had led him here without even bestowing him one of his colorful comments, and for the other not to try to attack him after Law's clear gesture of submission, this had to be something important.

"Let me do it." the dragon asked with a happy smile in his voice, raising his hands to the small silk ribbon that covered his vision.

Law obediently - wanting to avoid a discussion that would break the stupid moment- stood still while the dragon untied the knot of the band quietly, his fingers brushing the delicate skin on his neck and giving him goosebumps at every second. Law restlessly bit his lip as the dragon undid the last knot and kept the blindfold over his eyes for a final moment.

"Ready?" the dragon asked, knowing perfectly well of his impatience.

Law growled angrily "Take it off for god's sake!" he eagerly complained.

And then the light cloth over his eyes disappeared and Law blinked as his eyes got accustomed to the bright environment around him. For a moment he didn't understand what he saw, it was too intense, too bright and simply impossible. He couldn't be seeing that, it was simply absurd that something like that existed. Then his mind made the association and he had to accept what his eyes were seeing.

Law stared with an open mouth. Mountains of the world's greatest treasures were scattered as far as he could see.

Gold, silver and precious jewels were piled in high mountains, almost reaching the roof of the huge cave. Danish kroners, Chinese yuans, Russian rupees or Arab dinars mingled on the floor in heaps of gold and silver, nacar necklaces from Greece, coral or intricate collars designs in silver spilled from wooden chests of rose dalbergia trunks or orange marble drawers.

Glasses of all shapes and sizes glowed in the purest form he had ever seen, there were bronze statues of empires forgotten centuries ago, ancient amphorae filled with amber, and paintings painted by acclaimed authors of their time. There were rings with diamonds the size of fists, oak cabinets with intricate drawings full of Chinese silks of bright red and royal gold. There were golden thrones forged by the dwarves, long and elegant swords from the elves of the North, and even deformed forks and cups made from human skulls from the demons of hell forged with cursed metals that shone with a blood red hue. Every single piece of this room, every coin of each pile of objects and each pendant or jewelry chest had an economic and historical value that several countries together wouldn't be able to afford, even with years of exploiting their people.

And all those wonders were just in front of Law. Just within his reach.

Law took a step toward the gold, stunned, and instantly regretted it when he stepped over a bunch of Chinese coins with his old and worn out combat boots.

The brown haired boy cast his eyes over the impressive panorama before his eyes, looking then at the books barely tucked in drawers and closets and at the codices of medieval churches with impressive designs in bright colors and convoluted letters with salms or old stories on their pages. He noticed the scrolls of Greece and Rome filled with knowledge of biology and astronomy, forgotten and repudiated by the Church because they contradicted the god theory. There were volumes covered in thick leather burned by the desert sun, there were clay tablets with Mesopotamian inscriptions and pages inscribed with languages Law didn't know anything about. There were small stones with intricate Mayan writings and drawings depicting gods, Australian runes carved in ivory and small Korans with elegant Arabic letter stuck between pages. Chinese tablets compete the collection with incomprehensible Japanese kanji and Korean rounded letters. There were books older than humanity itself, there were math books so advanced that it could only be deciphered by their writer, there were maps of thousand countries ago, biology, medicine, politics, law, art, astronomy, gastronomy ... all the knowledge of mankind locked in a room bigger than a castle.

Law tried to speak, he tried to utter even a single word to express how overwhelming the situation was, but no sound came from his mouth. Stunned, he took another step towards the treasure, and then his hand brushed with one of the golden cups on a huge table with bronze legs representing the heads of lions roaring.

The brown haired boy carefully stopped at the table and gently took the cup filled with rubies as his face reflected in their polished surface. It was a unique piece, probably used in some church lost during antiquity. It had reliefs depicting a scene from the Bible while small precious stones decorated the base.

Law returned it instantly to its palce, feeling that he was playing with something of incalculable value that he shouldn't even be looking at.

"What is this?" Law finally managed to ask, without taking his eyes away from the wonders before him.

"My treasure." Kidd said behind him, suddenly serious and looking at him intently.

And Law then finally saw the ring of hot and bubbling lava that surrounded the treasure and protected it from the world. Law realized that they have crosses over it just a moment ago- that's where the hissing sound had came from- and, as he saw the light that reflected in the treasure with a thousand shades of gold, he couldn't believe they have managed to survive. Now he understood Kidd's worries about him touching the floor.

Law then hesitated and looked at Kid, totally confused. Why was he showing him this? Wasn't this supposed to be the most prized possession of a dragon? What he would kill and die defending? Law was reminded of their latest fights, how the other always ended on the defensive or angry each time he mentioned the treasure or made the slightest allusion. Law recalled the roar, the intimidating looks and he almost felt his blood freeze at the memory. And now Kidd was showing it to him as if it was the most normal thing to do.

Law, stepped back, fearing that something bad was about to happen. Because there had to be a trick in all this ; now Kidd would kill him, now would be when Kidd would reveal some strange truth and when the farce would end.

"Why am I here Kidd?" He asked warily, eyeing a sleek elven sword a few feet away.

Kidd just stared at him for a moment without moving. Standing in the middle of the world's greatest treasure and his possession in a picture taken from old legends -the dragon and his gold- but instead of looking angry or to be planning something, Kidd seemed only to observe Law intently, as if expecting something from him to make a decision, or wondering why Law was moving away from him with watchful eyes.

Law then realized he was being ridiculous.

If Kidd had wanted to kill him he would already have done it, there had been thousands of opportunities to do so, including when he had been biting his neck as they fucked. Law forced himself to relax and returned his gaze to wander through the cavern still too stunned by the treasure and confused as to why he was here. Part of him wanted to explore it, see where the impressive collection of the dragon ended; he wanted to study the writings, sit on golden thrones and feel as if he was the world's most powerful man for a moment, but again, as had happened with the cup, he had too much respect and fear of breaking or touching something wrong and thereby provoque Kidd's anger.

Carefully, since Kidd seemed to have entered a trance and was intent on observing him, Law approached the table where the cup had been, and took one of the two gold and wide bracelets that were also on the table among thousands of objects.

The piece was somewhat simpler than the cup and only had some prints as decoration. It was definitely one of the most poorly crafted objects in the treasure, Law could probably find something similar in any palace with a little money and a good craftsman. But Law liked its simplicity and the worn out and rusty look it had, it smelled of history and mysteries of distant countries. The brown haired boy spun it between his hands watching it from different angles, it was a simple piece with two gold plates spinning on a hinge that closed with a small hook on the opposite side. Law admired it as it caught the reflection of the lava over its rough surface and its colour varied from gold to red.

Finally he decided to try it on.

And then, as the little gold piece closed over his wrist, Kidd, at his side, breathed a sigh of relief and finally approached him with the determination of someone who has taken a decision in his eyes. Law looked at him, still confused by the sudden change in behavior, but with the bracelet still on his wrist.

"It's yours." Kidd said then, taking the other bracelet from the table and placing it on Law remaining wrist, like he was making a deal, as a man placing a wedding ring on his bride's hand.

Law, however, blinked in confusion, not understanding what he meant and just watched Kidd to close the bracelet on his wrist with a somewhat disturbing respect. The metal felt cold against his skin, dead and useless, but Kidd's hands around his fingers rubbing his thumb in circles on the back of his hand clearly solved the problem.

"What do you mean?" Law asked confused.

"My treasure," the dragon said looking directly into his silver eyes and still holding his hand, "I'm giving it to you".

_It's yours._

Law opened his eyes wide at the short and simple answer of the dragon, and instantly separated from Kidd as if he had been burned. The coins echoed on the ground beneath his feet and the sound spread through the silent cave until it was lost in the river of lava. And then the idea settled in his mind. This huge treasure. _His_.

"No." He quickly said as he took the bracelets off his wrists as if they were poisonous snakes and gave them back to Kidd, practically throwing them against his chest. "I can't, just ... no." he said, having a small panic attack.

He couldn't have the treasure. What the hell he was going to do with it? The treasure was Kidd's, it was the dragon's fucking treasure, he couldn't steal it, it was important for Kidd and also... What the hell would he do with a treasure? The idea was absurd. Why was Kidd giving it to him? Wasn't it supposed to be the most important thing for the dragon? Law looked at the redhead, still surprised. Kidd frowned.

"Why not?" Kidd said with an offended voice, as if he didn't understand why Law was rejecting the most wonderful thing the dragon had.

Law wanted to raise a sardonic eyebrow at the question. Law wanted to hit him in the middle of the face for being so stupid. Was he asking why he couldn't accept the greatest treasure in the world? Really? Was Kidd really asking him that?

"I can't, I ... it's too much, and also the treasure is yours, I can't steal it from you." he said quickly, still away from the dragon and increasing the distance between them, as if that could settle the problem.

"You're not stealing from me." the dragon said watching the boy again with that entertained and loving look but still approaching him with precaution. "I'm giving it to you, it's a gift."

"I don't need it." Law kept insisting, convinced that this was wrong on too many levels.

"I know you don't need it." Kidd said coming back to catch him and trap him in a huge hug as he rolled his eyes, as if it was Law the one being irrational.

Law wanted to hit him in the face again. However the dark haired boy just observed, mind racing a mile a minute, as the dragon retook his wrists and again put the bracelets on them as if that had been their place from the beginning. As if he was closing the conversation with them, without letting him do anything but accept the greatest gift he had ever received and much bigger than he had ever expected. Law let his eyes wander over the mountains of coins again, still feeling too intimidated to do anything. As much as Kidd insisted, Law would never have the treasure, not when Law himself couldn't believe it.

"Why are you doing this?" he couldn't help asking.

Kidd held him by the waist and buried his face in his neck again as he lifted and seated Law on the marble table beside them, throwing, several objects off the table with the movement, including the cup of rubies from before. Objects so expensive and valuable that would make princes and kings cry of envy, all thrown away to make room for Law.

The exorcist then put his hands on the redhead's pectorals without saying anything and still not quite believing what was happening, but the redhead just leaned his forehead against his and smiled happily. Lovesick. appily.

"Because I think I have found something more important." he answered at last.

And Law couldn't do anything but turn red with shame at the cheesiest phrase ever and as the dragon turned to kiss him deeply and put his hands under his shirt with a clear intention. However, this time, curiously it was Law the one who asked for the Kidd's caresses, and the one who was the most active during the entire during sex. With his emotions fluttering free in his mind as he was now totally unable to contain the love and happiness he felt for just being with the dragon.

.

.

.

The two men walked through the deserted streets of the town as two souls of the apocalypse looming over the place. The rain kept pouring from the dark sky, almost vindictive, and the cold night wind dragged their wet clothes against their bodies, making it difficult to walk. Yet both men didn't halt their advance and simply sheltered themselves in the long black cloaks they were wearing. Black cloaks that have, as only emblem and decor, a long golden cross on the chest.

"Did you go back to the cabin?" asked the elder one of the two men while he pushed his white hair back from his face with a gloved hand, trying to cover his huge body even more with the small layer of cloth.

His companion, nodded seriously. At last, after a weeks-long journey, they have both arrived at the town square that the reports indicated. There, the old and tall church was pathetically demolished, and the village hall stood alone on the other side of the square with candlelight escaping from one of the glass windows.

"Yes", replied the younger one, a dark-haired boy with a hat that partially hid his eyes from the world and protected him from the heavy rain still falling with no apparent intention of stopping. "As we thought it was empty, no one has been there for several months." He continued explaining with a formal and flat tone as the two men crossed the deserted square.

"Got it." the bigger one said, finally reaching the door of the lit building and pausing to take shelter under the small front porch.

"Sir," said then the one with the hat in a solemn tone, "his sword was there."

Both men stared at the floor, immersed in a tense silence. Both had known that this mission would be dangerous, this kind of things didn't happen very often and it had been a long time since an exorcist had been sent on missions like this one.

Both had been prepared for the worst. However, as they kept investigating the situation before them and were starting to reach conclusions, the situation was just getting worse by the minute.

"What do you think that means?" asked the white-haired man to the child.

"I do not know," the younger calmly replied. "but in all the years I have met Trafalgar, he has never left his sword alone, not even when taking a bath."

Of course not, the older thought, none of them did, everyone had learned years ago what would happen if you lost your gun and were attacked. It was always one of the first lessons the organization taught. Unconsciously he clenched his jutes at his back feeling much better when he immediately touched the cold metal of his old, familiar weapons.

"Well, it is time to solve the problem." he said without the slightest expression on his face as he slammed with strong hard punches the mayor and city council's door.

Both watched the light move in the window and waited patiently while slow steps inside advanced to get to the door. Both tensed and took the warning and regulatory defensive position while listening to the heavy and useless hundred years old padlocks unlocking one after another, until the door slightly opened in front of them.

A man in his forties, with black hair, bleary-eyed and a scar across his face, looked at them, slightly confused.

"Sir Crocodile?" asked the big man with white hair.

The black haired man on pajamas nodded dubiously and watched as the white haired guy removed a sealed letter from his wet cloak and handed it to him as the only explanation "We come from the Vatican to investigate a case. We would like to ask you a few questions."

Crocodile took the letter in his hands as he felt his face blanch for seconds and his mind wake from the sleep when he saw the huge seal of red and melted wax.

He has spend nights without sleep after the incident with the dragon, remorse plagued him at the image of the gray-eyed boy lying on the bags of gold ready to be murdered. A dream that troubled him night after night. However, despite the fatigue he had after the long day he had had, he knew that this wasn't any joke.

He was in a big trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I know I have portrayed Kidd like a kind of sexist sometimes, but this kind of an "historical" fic (things technically happens on the past) and I wanted to show how people of that era though (hate for homosexuals, women abuse, religious fanaticism...). I have nothing against society or against women, I'm a girl and I assure you that I will punch Kidd in the face just as hard as you.
> 
> So please...don't kill me.
> 
> Also, for the two "strangers" I will answer a few question on the next chapter (or not (`∇´)) in any case, who do you think they are? I have already heard of a few guesses but you have such an imagination that it's just too fun.
> 
> See you in a few weeks guys, sorry for the sugar rush, I'm not like this and I promise the fluffiest won't last too much more.
> 
> P.D:And don't be lazy and leave a fucking comment FOR SATAN'S SAKE, that I know you are reading the story.
> 
> I'm watching you ¬_¬*)~~~~~~


	13. Decision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, bored people, here I am again to entertain you with gay stories. I'm about to die, but I'm giving you my kidlaw inherit, so you better like it and appreciate it ungrateful bastards ¬¬* also I will have to thanks Guk (vegaisthesound on tumblr) for correcting my horrible mystakes.   
> I love you my dear husband T^T.

The old mayor sat in the chair behind the wooden desk littered with books, with his hands trembling slightly with cold and fear. He wore street clothes despite the lateness of the hour, a long elegant jacket with a scarf, and a heavy coat of dark fur, that could warm even the death itself. However, despite the heat escaping from the chimney at his side, and the thick clothes he was wearing, he was still shivering of cold. An intense, frozen cold seeped into his soul, reminding him very well of the last time he had talked to someone like the men before him.

The two strangers were sitting on thick and uncomfortable wooden chairs in front of him, and were looking at him with expressionless, serious eyes -the same deep dead eyes the dark-haired boy had had in their little interview.

Crocodile tried not to think on the resemblance, and handed the two strong men huge cups of steaming coffee in the typical tradition of cold courtesy. The coffee was quite hard to find in this place of the world, it was an expensive and rare commodity. However, since Crocodile had tried it, the beleaguered mayor had become addicted to the beverage, and he hadn't hesitated to spend millions in the stimulating beans.

However, the two men didn't took the mugs and drank with satisfaction as he was doing in an attempt to calm his nerves. Despite being soaked to the bone, and clad in heavy and thick layers that were dripping ice water on the floor, none tried to take the warm drink their bodies will surely appreciate.

Another irregularity. Which reminded him instantly to the boy he had sacrificed a few days ago to calm a dragon.

Crocodile still said nothing, just leaned back against his chair, his hands wrapped around his own cup trying to absorb its heat and calm as he always did. He knew it was going to be a long night, and he needed to control even the smallest gesture or word. He didn't know what these men wanted to talk about at this hour of the night, but he had a slight hunch that, it wouldn't be about something good. So, returning to take a ship of the hot and aromatic coffee that had cost a pretty fortune, the mayor prepared himself to deny and lie to these men with all his skill.

"We apologize for interrupting you at this time, Mayor," said the smaller of the two men-the one with a hat covering his eyes-realizing Crocodile's discomfort with the whole situation. "But we are looking for a missing partner and we need to ask you some questions."

Crocodile swallowed the bitter coffee. He had not expected them to be so direct and to the point so soon. Although maybe, it was better this way. The two men were staring at him almost unblinking, and this whole situation was starting to look like a sinister interrogation of some sort.

"Where did you say you were from?" asked Crocodile in a tense but firm voice, without showing any of his nervousness or panic.

"From the Vatican," the two men responded at once, taking out two silver plates from the pockets of their coats and showing him the insignia of a golden cross attached to a small rosary of worn wooden beads.

Crocodile closed his eyes as he internally keep hitting his head against a wall. Of course. It had to be the Church. The Church was involved in all the problems of the world, why not this too? God, why hadn't he predicted all this before? He who boasted about intelligence was now between the sword and a wall because he hasn't been careful enough. He had barely survived the dragon and now, against the Church, he should really start to prepare the army of the city if he waited to come out of this alive.

"What do you want? Why come to talk to me instead of Father Enel?" he tried again to escape, and direct them to massacre and torture another person.

But the boy with the cap didn't even blink.

"Because you are the mayor. We know that you have more information, and that you aren't a brainless fanatic like the good father," the boy said quickly.

Crocodile couldn't help the tense but entertained smile that appeared on his face at the comment. Well, so they admit that they knew of the practices of the deranged priest, but yet they did absolutely nothing to stop them. Bastards.

"Also," continued the boy with the cap, "people of the village say that you were the last person who spoke with our colleague, and the last who saw him before he disappeared."

The smile vanished from Crocodile's face like magic. Shit. But what could he expect? It was a small town, the news spread quickly, and this had been the first time they had managed to stand up to the dragon. It was normal that people cared and talked about the silver eyed boy. After all, he was the new hero of the place.

"What do you want to know?" Crocodile asked, finally surrendering to the inevitable.

"Everything," the white-haired man answered simply, smoking the huge cigar while heavy wet-drops of rainwater slid down his forehead.

And then Crocodile told them. Everything. From the start when the dark haired boy had come to town looking for accommodation, to the interview after the attack. He kept to the truth as much as he could so that way they couldn't find the slightest objection or failure in the history. He omitted the visit of the dragon, or about the kidnapping and offering, in order to to protect himself and his people. He no longer knew how the Church would react if it knew he had sold one of his men to a beast. He hid it despite the nightmares and remorse that filled his dreams, despite the fact that the man could still be alive and these two could help him.

The men asked him questions, trying to dig deeper, trying to push him to see if he knew anything more. The night passed and dawn began to creep through the window. Crocodile said absolutely nothing else and just ducked and deflected the questions, referring only to the known history and nothing more.

"Then you don't know anything else?" finally asked the boy with the cap.

"No," Crocodile said, thinking he had managed to survive and that these men would now go and leave him alone. Thinking he had won again. That he had defeated a dragon and this time the church, and that now he would finally be free.

"I see," said the white-haired man, frowning. He was the one Crocodile feared the most for his impressive physique and his too sharp mind. "Then could you explain what this is, and why we found it in my friend's house?"

For a moment Crocodile didn't understand what he meant, but then the man reached to the table with a jerk, and placed a small object on the worn wooden surface. It was a small dart, the size of a thumb, with the emblem of the town hall on one side.

Crocodile paled.

It was the dart they had use to shoot the boy before handing him to the dragon. The one with the drug.

How in hell had they found it? It was tiny, and it had been weeks since the incident. It had rained, the wind should have hidden it, and various animals had passed through the area, hitting and playing with the little object of bright color. No one could have found it unless they already knew that it was there. Did they know?

Crocodile shifted in his comfortable chair covered in maroon velvet, instantly looking for an excuse as to why a dart with his and the town council emblem was in the house of the missing boy.

Doubting, Crocodile opened his mouth to answer, but slightly cold and dangerous eyes glared at him, instantly paralyzing him with fear. Focused, deadly. Like the eyes of two riders of the apocalypse who had just come to avenge their friend and make him confess in the most heinous way possible. The lies just disappeared into his throat.

"I ... don't know what-" his voice was weak and clearly he was lying, even to his own ears.

The white-haired man rose from his chair, making the chair scrape against the ground uncomfortably. Crocodile jumped under his watchful eye, but the huge white mountain only seemed to ignore him and just paced the room, angrily expelling another puff of gray smoke into the air.

The other boy sighed.

"Sir, with all respect, give up with the farce. We know you're hiding something, so don't make us waste time in torturing you. Just tell us," said the boy happily, with an almost pleading tone, as if he wasn't really unfastening the knife at his waist and looking at Crocodile as if he wondered where first to stab it. "That way we will finish sooner and we could all go home happily."

Crocodile refused. If he confessed it would be worse. If he confessed everything he would go to hell, and besides, if these two decided to take revenge and attack the dragon, the dragon will surely get angry. And the dragon had said he would not give second chances. The beast would kill them, destroy the villa, and everything would burn in hell. Crocodile preferred to lie to the Church than to face it and the beast together.

"I've said I don't know what it is!' he said, now in a more harsh and convincing tone.

The next second a knock sounded behind him, and a knife suddenly touched his throat. Horrified, Crocodile watched the white-haired man who had walked behind him without him noticing, and who was holding a small knife to his throat as if it were something he had done thousand times.

The huge man breathed cigar smoke into his face with a look too angry for this situation, and Crocodile coughed while listening to his words and feeling the cold metal against his pulse.

"Let's see, we can do this the hard way if you want. We don't care, the orders were to recover our comrade at any cost, do you understand?" said the man with a low and serious tone. A dangerous but tired tone. "We have permission from the Holy Church to destroy you, to destroy your beautiful niece, or the whole damn town. Are you afraid of the dragon? Well, you don't know what the Church is capable of to get what it wants."

Crocodile closed his eyes, tired. How did they know about Vivi if they had just arrived? How had she gotten into this mess? How did they know it had been him who shot the boy? How had they found the dart? First the dragon and now the church. A war between two ancient enemies, and him in the middle. If he betrayed the dragon it would kill them, if he didn't answer the question the Church would annihilate them. Whatever he did he would die. Whatever he did they all would die.

So Crocodile sent the dragon to hell. If he had to choose, he would choose his own kind, the ones who hadn't killed millions of people on a whim, and the ones who only give speeches about love and peace. He chose the Church. And he told them everything. How weeks ago the dragon had appeared in his office demanding the boy. He showed them the marks on the table, now hidden under heavy books for nobody to ever see them. He told them about the attack on the dark haired boy, about the doseage that had been used in the dart, how he had fallen unconscious and how they had given him as an offering to the beast.

For a moment the men seemed to doubt him when he described the attack, as if they couldn't believe that a few men had managed to surprise their friend and put him out of the they clearly understood why he had done what he had done, and they didn't seem to want revenge for his betrayal.

At least for now.

When Crocodile finished he was trembling again. Both men seemed satisfied and were looking at one another with a knowing look. Without a word they both got up, put their soaked coats on, and quickly headed for the door. As they didn't need anything else but his confession.

"Many thanks Mayor," said the smaller of the two before disappearing through the door. "The Church will reward your services."

And Crocodile was again left alone in the dark room lit by a few candles and the fire. Shivering with cold and panic, he hid his face in his hands and took a deep breath, trying to calm down and remove the uncertainty that pervaded him.

What now? Who would attack them? The dragon, or the church? They had to start defending themselves and assemble an army. It was time to get ready for once, they couldn't be caught again defenseless. He would face whatever opposed him and he would protect his people at all costs.

The coffee before him was cooling itself little by little. The cups on the now empty seats had not been touched in the slightest. It was then, while drinking the remains of his coffee and watching the full cups in front of him, that Crocodile vowed when all this ended, he was going to retire and live quietly and happily, without worrying about ancient wars for the rest of his life.

.

.

.

They were flying. Again, high in the clouds and faster than lightning. Kidd had been silent for a while, purring under him whenever Law stroked one of the garnet scales of his body. Which he did quite often, for the sole purpose of hearing the warm sound beneath him.

Both had spent all morning grinning like idiots and making stupid jokes, so when Kidd had finally proposed to do more than fuck on every flat surface of the cave and asked him if he would like to go flying, Law hadn't been able to deny the offer. Curiously, he was beginning to love flying above the ancient dragon, feeling the cold morning wind hitting his face and merely enjoying the freedom that the act involved.

That day, however, the gray sky was again covered by a dense blanket of clouds that threatened a storm. Occasionally they flew through a small drizzle and the strong icy wind made Kidd wobble in the air, but they worked together and while Kidd surrounded them with a protective cover against the cold, Law work on a simple spell to divert the rain from their bodies. For now they were dry and didn't suffer from hypothermia, despite having spent hours flying in that unfriendly environment.

Despite the bad weather, the world looked different covered by the thick cloud's shadows. The colors seemed more vivid with rain-grass shone with an emerald green hue, and the rye fields showed a sea of brown and gold. Everything seemed more calm and collected while the animals and people were hiding, waiting for the storm to pass.

Law inhaled the smell of wet earth in the air deeply, and in that brief moment of peace and quiet, where there were only the two of them in the vastness of the valley, in the first relaxed moment he'd had since they had started to jump at each the other like animals in heat, he allowed himself to return to study the most innocent of his problems: Kidd.

He wasn't ready to think about the Church yet, or the question about his life and future, but the dragon theme seemed harmless enough. So Law analyzed it.

He analyzed the last loving and enjoyable week where they hadn't had any discussion at all, and analyzed the behavior of the dragon and his own, in an attempt to make a decision that he had needed to take a long time ago. He focused only on their relationship and his feelings, he reminded himself of his insecurities with the dragon and how he hadn't been able to entirely trust Kidd, thinking that all this would just end up as a joke from the redhead. He thought about the feelings that had arisen inside him, but that had to be repressed because he didn't dare to expose them and then be betrayed. He had hesitated, and he had had reasons. But now everything shone with a different light.

Now he had the treasure of a dragon in his power.

Kidd had given it to him seriously, it hadn't been a joke. Law had seen it in his nervous gestures and his scared look as the dragon had put the golden bracelets that Law was still wearing on his wrists, as if Kidd was afraid that Law would rejected or laugh in his face after virtually giving him his heart and soul with them.

Kidd had given him his most prized possession without even hesitating, saying that now he didn't needed it, showing that the whole relationship was serious and that this wasn't just a game between them that would finally end at some point. Kidd had practically proposed marriage with the treasure, because Law doubted that any dragon would give their treasure out to someone they just wanted a good fuck with. Kidd had chosen Law, he had repeated that he loved him again and again, and now Law finally understood that it was all true and now it was his turn to fucking finally answer back.

But what he should do now? Trust his enemy? Accepted his feelings? Yes, apparently he had no other choice. He had built barrier after barrier against Kidd: that they were enemies, that he couldn't trust a monster, his beliefs, his vows, how different they were... but Kidd had been collapsing them one by one until there weren't any left, until Law was completely bared to him as he had never bared his soul to anyone, until the exorcist had no choice but to trust him and answer.

So this time, while they were flying through the cloudy sky, Law finally accepted it and let the warm feeling in his chest spread throughout his whole body until it left him breathless. His hands fondly stroked again the scarlet scales, and Kidd purred, happy under him again. Law felt a lump in his throat and trembled thinking about how perfect the situation was. How good it felt to finally be able to accept his feelings without anyone or anything preventing him. How good it was to really be free.

He loved Kidd and he would never deny it again. The feeling felt too good and too right in his chest.

He returned to stroking Kidd's scales, suddenly wanting to hug and sink back into the dragon huge and powerful body. _'Let's go back to the cave, I want to give you something,'_ he whispered in Kidd's mind, almost shyly, still too overwhelmed with the feelings to express himself properly or talk normally.

 _'What it is?'_ Kidd responded instantly with that hoarse voice he had as a dragon, that made Law tremble again to just listen to it in his mind in such an intimate way.

No one had ever had much control over his body as the dragon had, no one had made him tremble or became so aroused with only a few innocent words whispered in his head. For a moment Law realized that he would probably do anything Kidd asked, if he spoke in that husky and suggestive tone. Rather than being concerned about the fact, he just felt happy. it was how it should have been since the beginning.

 _'Just go back. It is a surprise,_ ' he said out of breath, squeezing Kidd's neck between his legs.

And Law just laughed when Kidd suddenly turned in the air and rushed way too quickly to the lair, clearly anxious to see what Law wanted to give him. Kidd returned home with brown's hands caressing his body and his hard scales, without stopping for a moment.

.

.

.

Kidd was in seventh heaven, no, he was rather in the eighteenth cloud. They were in his room, in his territory with the huge bed, the headboard, and the fur rugs... And Law was between Kidd's legs, with his mouth going heartily up and down his hardened erection.

Kidd couldn't believe it. What the hell had happened for Law to return the favor he had given him a few days ago? Kidd didn't understand why Law had suddenly jumped at him, throwing them both down on the fur in front of the fireplace, but he definitely wasn't going to complain.

Kidd arched his back off the fur where he was lying while Law continued savoring his cock with another long lick and a groan of raw need. Kidd roared into the room in response to the moan, wanting to put an end to the obvious need his human had, but Law turned again to lick under the head of his cock in the most sensitive part of his anatomy with another perfect movement, and he fell apart on the floor, drowning in a sea of pleasure.

Law was lying on him, still fully clothed, with his hands on Kidd's naked hips. He had spent just seconds in dropping Kidd's pants to mid-thigh, releasing only his erection and not much more.

Kidd liked seeing Law so desperate for him, but he quickly found himself unable to open his legs all to fed Law as he wanted.

"Law," he muttered, "w-wait, not so fast." If they continued like this he would come with a few licks, and that would just be humiliating.

Law lifted his head and pulled Kidd's cock out of his mouth with an erotic sucking sound. A smile shone on his face as his tattooed hands seemed unable to leave Kidd's body, lifting the shirt and walking his tanned fingers on Kidd's muscular chest, pinching his nipples in vengeance.

"You're enjoying it," Law said as his mouth again smacked kisses over Kidd's cock with fervor, but this time slower, just as the dragon had requested.

Kidd buried his hands in Law's soft hair, while Law went back to swallowing him, until he was completely buried in the boy's throat, and had to lift his hips against Law's face to keep himself from screaming in pain. Kidd roared again, and Law let out that desperate sound that was driving him crazy.

"Law, please let me fuck you, you want it too," Kidd said, alluding to the evident desperation Law had and his needy, desperate moans.

"Not yet," Law replied. His hands were still clutching Kidd's hips possessively, and his tongue kept swirling around Kidd's cock almost lazily, in slow up and down motions that were leaving Kidd's mind blank.

Kidd let Law do as he wanted for the first time, he let him take control and do what he wanted with him. For the first time, he was the one who surrendered to Law's wishes.

Law continued sucking him, going up and down as far as he could, and never getting tired of it. The only problem in Kidd's mind was that the human's hot mouth was going slower and slower at each passing second. Kidd began to realize it when Law's tongue returned to make another long lick that left him breathless, while his fingers again pinched a hardened nipple, and his mouth took too long to fall back on his member.

"Law?" Kidd asked, slightly breathless.

"Hmm?" Law answered without leaving his erection for even a moment.

Kidd clenched his hands in the boy's hair in an indirect request that Law, of course, ignored.

"Are you getting revenge or something?" Kidd asked, beginning to understand where things were going.

Law laughed against his erection and the sound reverberated through Kidd's body like thousands butterflies crossing his skin. His hips rose up again against Law's face, but the boy turned away before he choked on his cock and just rubbed his cheek against Kidd's sensitive hip. Kidd growled, annoyed. Law smirked, satisfied.

"Maybe," he finally said, laying kisses over the curve of his erection fondly.

And then the torture began. After the little talk Law never touched his erection again, he didn't come close to it and dedicated himself to delivering chaste kisses and soft caresses on Kidd's skin. His tanned hands kept torturing Kidd with tentative strokes over his testicles and hard nipples. But there was no heavy petting or wet kisses anymore, only small and light touches on places the exorcist knew drove the dragon crazy.

Soon Kidd felt he was about to explode in frustration. His body was totally excited, to a new and wonderful level he had never experienced before. Law's caresses were pushing him closer to the edge, but were not strong enough to trigger the final needed reaction. Kidd couldn't do anything to solve the problem. Every time he tried to jerk himself off, Law quickly stopped his hands and returned to licking one of the strategic points with enthusiasm and abandon, leaving Kidd reduced instantly to an excited and pleading mess that couldn't do anything but gasp and moan.

"Law, s-stop with this," Kidd begged, trembling slightly. "I don't know what I've done but I'm sorry, okay? Stop with this," he said, in a voice too weak for his own taste.

"How you should ask for things, Kidd?" Law asked with an amused voice, repeating one of the phrases that Kidd had said to him to exhaustion in their love games, but still without touching Kidd at all.

Kidd roared in frustration. He didn't want to play, he didn't want provocations, he just wanted to come buried deep inside the dark haired boy's ass. He wasn't asking for that much. But then Law dropped one of his tanned hands from his chest and squeezed his huge and desperate cock tightly between his long fingers, forcing out another roar from Kidd but this time for a very different reason.

"Okay, _please_ , please," Kidd pleaded like his little human wanted. "Do whatever you want, but please don't stop, don't stop again." His hands were once again plunged into the dark hair, drawing Law's mouth towards his full erection without the slightest result.

Under his hard grip, Law only laughed at his begging sobs. "You're suddenly so submissive, Kidd," he said, giving an oh-so-desired lick to Kidd's huge cock's head, making the dragon squirm under him still unsatisfied by the quick and soft caress. "But what do you want _exactly_?" Law asked curiously, but clearly sarcastic, still teasing him despite Kidd's desperate words and actions.

Kidd looked at his beautiful human over him and finally their eyes met. Serious, yet so desperate for the other. Law could feel Kidd's amber orbs studying him inside, looking for an answer and again realizing the dominant and possessive tone he sometimes had. As if the beast couldn't stand his little teasing anymore.

"Fuck you," Kidd said, then completely serious. "I want to fuck you, I want to come inside you, and fill your tight ass while you moan my name and reach heaven _again and again._ "

Law felt his body respond instantly to the dragon words. His cock throbbed painfully in his pants, and his nipples hardened only with Kidd's rough and commanding voice.

Shit, he wanted the dragon's cock inside him too.

Rising from his position between Kidd's legs, Law straightened his knees on both sides of Kidd's thighs and removed his own pants easily, obeying Kidd without hesitation and showing that despite all his games and tortures the dragon was the one who had been in control from the start.

Not taking his eyes from Kidd's dark ones, afraid that if he broke the contact the situation could end, he bent over the body of the dragon and crawled up him until their faces were at the same height. Kidd's hands were instantly on his body, caressing his soft thighs and positioning him over his huge and impossibly hard erection. The dragon's fingers stroked his eager erection with care, drawing out gasps from his parted lips, and finally - _finally-_ they came to seize his ass, opening his buttocks and promptly introducing two fingers into his already used entrance.

"Are you certain that you don't prefer a blowjob?" Law asked, lost in the dragon's eyes, feeling his calloused fingers looking for the prostate in an almost desperate way.

Kidd was clearly looking to drive him as crazy and desperate as he was, trying to break him and make him moan loud and clear as he always did when the dragon was inside him. Kidd's eyes were fixed on his, so fucking serious and focused, as if he were waiting for something important.

"No," the redhead said with a firm voice. "I just need you like this."

And then Law melted again, and had to close his eyes to the warm feeling that returned to flood him, clear and strong, with no intention of disappearing at any time. A lopsided smile spread across his face and he furrowed resigned knowing he had fallen for the dragon from the bottom of his heart. So, when Kidd aligned their hips and urged him down with the help of his huge hands, to take his erection inside him as they both needed, Law leaned on the other's chest, brought their foreheads together and finally he pushed down.

"I love you too," Law finally whispered against Kidd's lips when the redhead began to move inside him.

It was as if something has broke loose at last, as if a sudden connection finally linked them together. Their world shifted for a moment and everything turned and reordered itself to make space for the newly formed couple. Giving it's rightfully and original place to the souls finally joined.

Kidd then, without saying anything, turned them around until he was, once again, above the dark haired boy. On Persian carpets and next to the warmth of the fireplace, he began to make love to his mate in an almost animalistic way.

Law just circled Kidd's neck with his trembling arms and squeezed the redhead's body against his own. He opened his legs all he could and more, wanting to feel Kidd's big hard dick buried completely inside him and hitting his prostate with so much precision.

Law whimpered into the hungry kiss Kidd immediately gave him, lost in waves of pleasure every time Kidd penetrated him in that wild form. Unconsciously his long legs wrapped around the strong redhead's waist and his heels pushed the larger man deeper and deeper, if even possible, until Kidd buried his cock to the base and smashed their lips together with hot starving passion. Law found himself answering the ravenous kiss with the same desire, hardly breathing, while their bodies were impossibly close together, while the groans and the sound of their hips bumping with passion filled the empty room.

That's when Law made his second decision of the day, while Kidd took him on the carpet in the most savage way he had ever done it, but also the most loving and passionate he had ever seen him. As he felt the dragon make love to him almost desperately, Law sent everything to hell. He dismissed without doubt the ideals he had long known were absurd, he forgot his mission to annihilate Kidd, his training, and duties. He sent the Church to hell without remorse. Because he didn't care anymore, all that stupid stuff didn't matter anymore, he would be next to Kidd forever and he definitely wasn't going back.

So he simply squeezed Kidd inside his body when the dragon bit him again on the neck, creating an indelible scar and causing Law to finally come between their bodies, painting everything white and with the name of the dragon on his lips as Kidd had predicted.

 _'I love you, I love you ...'_ repeated the dragon tirelessly in his mind, almost delirious, as if he needed to repeat it at each passing moment to understand that this was reality and that all this wasn't just a dream he was having.

And Law would always remember himself responding to each of the statements, one after the other, in a strange mantra and with a free and happy smile on his face.

_'I love you too...'_

 


	14. Linkage

The soft rays of the morning sun streamed through the ceiling of the room, dimly illuminating the huge room. The sun was rising. It was only a small patch of white light on the wall of dark wood, but Kidd was already awake. In truth he had been awake for a long time, long before the sun started to enter in his lair, he had already opened his eyes, aware of the world. Yet he still didn't get up, and he didn't think he would do it now, or ever.

They were both lying on Kidd's huge bed, the one that could easily accommodate an entire family but that, with Kidd in it, barely had any room left for Law's body. But it wasn't like Law also needed it. The boy's body was completely surrounded by Kidd's one, completely covered and fully resting under the heavy blankets and sheets of silk and fur. The tanned boy had his head resting comfortably on Kidd's arm, using it as a pillow and his tattooed fingers sprawled out on Kidd's pale chest. Meanwhile, the redhead got his free arm around Trafalgar's waist possessively, pulling their bodies impossibly closer and resting his chin on the soft dark hair of the boy's head.

Kidd was hot with so many blankets over him, and he felt the arm Law was leaning on beginning to go numb from lack of blood flow. He was also hungry, he wanted to stretch and get up for once. But he didn't. The thought didn't even cross his mind for a moment. Leaving Law right now just seemed like the stupidest thing he could do in his life. The timing was perfect, the feeling of the other's body, protected in his arms, was incredible, his calm and relaxed breath ghosting over his neck, being able to stroke his hair and golden skin without repercussions… it was like a dream from Kidd's deepest fantasies had come true.

No, Kidd wasn't going to get up. Now or ever. They could remain that way for eternity for all he cared. There has never been a moment in his life like the one he was living now, in which he felt completely satisfied and at peace with the world, in which felt like the happiest and most fortunate person in history.

And it was thanks to the bond that had finally formed between them. Kidd felt it in his mind and in his chest. Strong, bright and powerful. A chain linking his soul to the dark haired boy's one. A link that would never break unless one of them died.

Law had finally accepted him, he had agreed to accept the bond and Kidd just wanted to scream and jump for joy like a madman when he announced the news to the world. Part of the redhead's mind was rolling its eyes at the pink and cloying attitude he was having. That part also knew that a huge part of what he was feeling was thanks to the magic; the link would still alter his emotions for a few more days until it finally disappeared and he recovered his normal behaviour. But he didn't care. He didn't care about anything. Law had finally accepted him and he had every right in the world to be happy.

Smiling stupidly, the dragon raised his hand from Law's hip and moved it up his back in a soft, slow caress, his fingers savoring every curve of that strong back and every little centimeter of warm skin. Once the hand reached the shoulder blades, He stopped and repeated the caress going down. Descending the back of the boy until he reached his perfect bare ass, and squeezed it between his fingers in a possessive grip, feeling it molding perfectly under his hand. It was definitely a good butt.

Law grunted in his sleep and moved even closer to his body trying to get away from his skillful and teasing hand, as he began to wake up from the deep sleep he had been plunged after their strenuous sex session from last an idea, Kidd smirked against the tanned boy's hair, .

Lowering his hand even more to the the back part of Law's thigh, he reached Law's knee and pulled at it slightly until the leg of the boy ended up over Kidd's waist. Then he rolled down the bed onto his back with Law still asleep over him, but with his legs now open on either side of the dragon's waist. Kidd almost groaned from that perfect posture, feeling dark skin sliding against his and the slight erection that was beginning to appear between the boy's open legs.

With both hands now free, Kidd brought them down to the boy's perfect butt, beginning to insistently and eagerly massage it, brushing his cute little hole again and again but without deepening anything. Just waking and teasing him the way he always loves to do and the way that always turned that little boy crazy from frustration because Kidd didn't give him what he oh so wanted.

Law growled against his neck, finally waking up, annoyed and then realizing the situation in which he was involved.

"What do you think you're doing?" He asked sleepily but with a clearly angry voice. Kidd had discovered that the child was never in a good mood in the morning, and since then, he had taken advantage of it whenever he could. It was always fun to mess with him, and the fact that they always solved their fights with hard and dominant sex was also a good incentive.

This time wasn't any different . "What do you think I'm doing?" the dragon asked, his words coming out as a purr as he finally touched the gray eyed boy's trembling entrance.

Law grumbled about him and finally lifted his head from his chest to look at him. But without taking those hands -the ones that keep squeezing his butt as if it was the most succulent thing they had ever touched- away from his butt.

"Well, stop." Law said ignoring the chills that ran through his body at the feeling of Kidd's fingers touching his entry with increasing intensity. "I'm in no mood for this." he said, trying to get up and flee from the dangerous hands of the redhead. After last night's events Law even doubted he would be able to sit for a while. It wasn't a good idea to further worsen the situation.

Kidd just laughed meanwhile under another light purr, he rolled them in bed again, until this time he was the one lying over Law, locking him between his body and the mattress. Instantly the dark haired one wanted to complain about the weight of the other man over him, Kidd was just too big in all senses, but then his lips were captured by the redhead's, and he no longer thought of anything else.

To say Kidd was good kisser would be a great understatement. The dragon was just amazing. He took his mouth as if he was taking possession of a country. He dominated, annihilated and didn't let Law able to do anything but gasp for air when everything ended. Law moaned helplessly as the other bit his lower lip, as if punishing him for rejecting the redhead's advances, and Law's tattooed hands flew to the red flaming hair to pull him down and deepen the kiss. An apology for the rejection. Kidd devoured his mouth, and for long and perfect minutes, the redhead did nothing but eat his mouth again and again with long, deep kisses.

Once they separated again, Kidd rolled across the bed and they just stayed in that position : lying next to each other without going any further, just touching each other and looking into the other's his eyes trying to memorize every little millimeter of each other. It was at that moment, where they weren't discussing or fucking, like they have been doing, just after Law had decided to stay with the dragon, to share his life with him, that Law realized he had to tell Kidd the truth.

It was time to give explanations. It was needed for Kidd to know their enemies.

"Kidd," he said slowly and carefully looking into the dragon's golden eyes, "We may have a problem." and in an instant he saw a frown appear on the handsome face of the dragon.

"What do you mean?" Kidd quickly asked, approaching him and putting a hand on his neck, so possessive and domineering. Locking him back against his body and preventing him from escaping again.

Law understood the dragon's gesture with no problem. Kidd thought that Law was going to leave him again and that he was going to confine himself inside his mind again, abandoning the link tying their souls. The exorcist smiled at the look of fear, but of absolute determination to keep him by his side, that the dragon was sending him; it felt so good to be so loved. Trying to reassure Kidd in anyway he could, the dark haired boy took the hand on his neck and stroked it briefly as he dedicated the beast a slight smile.

"No, it's not what you think, I …" his words just got stuck in his throat. He wanted to tell him, he needed to tell him, but it was a complicated issue to explain, and Kidd could get angry if he didn't speak about it carefully. Law didn't want that to happen. "Do you remember when you caught me and when we fought? Do you remember that I told you that I was from Italy and that someone wanted to kill you?"

Kidd's gaze instantly went from the worried one to the alert and focused one. Sticking even more to Law's body, the redhead nodded knowing that this would be a serious and long conversation. Law smiled feeling slightly more relaxed thanks to the attention.

"Well... I am an exorcist, I was trained by the Vatican to destroy creatures like you, and I was sent by them here to kill you." Law thought that this was a very nice and simple way to describe it, but at the moment it would be enough. Kidd didn't needed to know more.

Kidd, however, keep staring at him, his hand on his neck had begun to drawing circles on his skin without realizing it and clearly his mind was racing, filling spaces that Law didn't quite fill with this sort explanation.

"Trained?" The dragon asked after a while, making Law force out a bitter smile.

Of course Kidd nothing escaped Kidd's sharp stare. Dragon Intelligence was one of the things that had always riled him up during the interrogation, Law couldn't misleaded him then. But now it was one of the things he felt more attracted to. That was one of the many things he loved about Kidd, he was so intelligent, he understood things and problems so fast. It might be thanks to his many centuries of lifetime, but Law couldn't help appreciating it, he appreciated not needing to explain every gross and horrible detail to him.

"Yes, they taught me how to fight and do magic. From ten to eighteen they trained me and taught me everything I know now." Law said, trying not to show any emotion in his voice or face. Trying not to reveal any feeling that could show Kidd the truth. He didn't need to know what they had done to him.

Unfortunately the dragon seemed to have learned how to read him like an open book during the last weeks.

"They hurt you, right?" Kidd said quietly but with a slightly dangerous note in his voice.

Law felt his voice choking in his throat and the old wounds reopen in seconds. He was still too vulnerable after the stupid link and the events of the previous days. He needed to create the barriers again, he needed to protect himself, it wasn't yet the time to say it, he wasn't ready yet and he probably would never will be, he needed to get away...

"Tell me." was all Kidd need to say while his nose caressed his cheek and his hand keep stroking his neck so protectively. While he enveloped Law in a quiet and safe place to let go of the suffering after years of compulsory silence.

The words escaped his mouth before he noticed.

Law told him everything, from the macabre murder of his father by the church for being the first exorcist who had rebelled against the code to marry his mother ; to the last day of training in which he had had to kill his first prey -a demon that had possessed a child of not more than five years and that had died along with the monster. He told him about the training sessions in which he had had to pick up a sword and fight for his life against other selected childs, without having been given the slightest fencing lesson.

He told Kidd how he had to study some the potions from old books in strange languages he didn't understand. How, after he had prepared the concoctions, he had had to drink them so that he would understand the effect they would have and how he could use them against their enemies. He explained how he had to drink various different poisons to be immune to them and so no one could poison him or take advantage of. He told him about how, out of twenty students that had started the training only two had reached the end of it, and how year after year he keep transforming into a killing machine and the perfect puppet.

During the whole time he was telling his story Kidd keep his arms wrapped around him and gave him soft kisses every time something seemed too macabre or painful. Law found himself counting things he had never told to anyone, opening a part of his soul that he had long ago sealed in the depths of his being. Every word the dark haired boy said was like a weight lifting from his shoulders, every possible trauma still remaining from those old injuries vanishing and disappearing thanks to Kidd's soothing caresses.

When he had told everything that he had needed to shake off, both just remain in silence, absorbing the words the exorcist just said and recovering from the impact they had on them. Law was trembling slightly after reviving all those memories. Kidd kept distractingly embracing him while a hard, cold look remained in his eyes.

"That why the wounds I did to you healed? You used one of the potions they taught you." Kidd suddenly asked Law as if he had noticed something important.

"Yes." Law answered, remembering the first time he had to create that potion. How he had confused birch bark with the yew one, and had ended up in having to stay in bed for several weeks on the verge of death. Since then he had never done another mistake, and as much as it pissed him to admit it, that way of training was a good way to motivate the students: either learn or die.

Law closed his eyes, tortured. He had opened a door that had been closed and now, suddenly, everything seemed to come back to haunt him.

"But that's not the problem." he said looking at Kidd seriously.

"The Vatican right?" Kidd said burying his face in his neck to smell his aroma while he hugged him even tighter as if he wanted to protect him from anything. Law finally smiled again and sank his hands into the warm hair of the dragon leaving the bad memories in the past where they belonged.

"Yes, an exorcist always fulfills the mission and returns to Rome. If he doesn't return, then he's considered dead and the Vatican sent another group to resolve the threat that defeated the first one. It's on the code." He explained while wrapping his arms around the redhead's waist letting the other cover the mark on his neck with soft kisses.

"They're going to come after me." Kidd finally understood as he lifted his head back up to met Law's mouth.

"Yes, after the two of us." Law answered, fleeing away from Kidd's lips without much success "They would go after you because you are a monster they believe they must kill to rid the world of its suffering. And for me because I have broke the code, allied with the enemy, and therefore I am no longer useful as an exorcist."

Then suddenly, Kidd stood over his body, looking at him, totally serious and determined. Law just stayed silent while watching the impressive man above him, the one that had helped him take away such a great weight greatly from his soul. Leave him after all they have being through, after all that they were still going through, now seemed as an impossible task.

"I'm not letting that happen." Kidd said. "None of us will ever die." the dragon announced deadly serious.

It was completely true, Kidd thought. Nobody was going to separate him from the dark haired boy now that they were finally together. The church should even be thankful for Kidd letting them live after what they had done to his partner. Kidd still felt the anger and the lust for revenge boiling in his veins after every word the other had said. After watching every look of pain the boy had tried to hide. But he needed to contain all that anger, Law needed him now, he needed his support and his company, he couldn't leave him alone to go for revenge.

But there would be time for that.

Law smiled again in that way that made his whole body melt, surely knowing what was going through Kidd's mind.

"I know." Law said raising his hands to sink them in his red hair again and to drag him down next to his mouth. "I'm only warning you so you be watchful." Their lips rubbed again causing both to sight of pure pleasure.

"I got it." Kidd murmured against the other's soft lips with a small smile. I was clear that Law trusted him now, the boy knew that Kidd would protect him from anything, in the same way that Law was telling him this now and protecting him. "Then should we prepare for war?" He asked ironically and clearly trying to lighten the mood a bit.

Law, however, really thought about the dragon's words while Kidd nibbled at his lower lip, as he taken a liking for doing for the last few days. Drawing chills from his body every time his lips came into contact with his.

With a dragon on his side Law doubted they would have any problem, but still ...

"I should get my sword back." he finally said to Kidd. Because deep down he would feel more secure with his old sword by his side, with the weapon he had always carried with him and the one that had accompanied him all these years.

With the only memory he had from his tutor.

Kidd, however, froze in place as Law had expected.

He had brought out a delicate topic and Law expected back the fight and screams between them soon, as what had happened the last time he had asked to go out of the cave. However this time he would stand his ground. He needed his sword and he was going to get it.

But, to his surprise, this time Kidd didn't panic or explode in a fit of anger, this time the dragon just stared at him as if he was really considering letting him go out. Law's eyes widened then in disbelief. Was Kidd really going to let him leave the cave? Was he really going to take him out?

"All right, I'll take you to the village and to the hut." Kidd announced, staring at him intently and bowing his head slightly, to finally catch Law's lips in a deep kiss.

Law again felt the heat in his chest rise at the show of trust that Kidd professed him. Knowing how hard it must have been for the dragon to grant his request and take him out of the cave, putting them in danger.

Smiling again, Law just hugged the redhead and simply rejoined their mouths, while the redhead's erection returned to rub against his hip in a perfect and insistent cadence.

.

.

.

The flight was as amazing as always, only that this time, unlike of the previous times, Law finally had a clear mind, and for the first time he enjoyed the feeling of freedom, that fly crossing the clouds at superhuman speed trigged. In the past, the dark haired man had envied the freedom that the dragon seemed to have as he flew, doing impossible loops in the air currents, but this time the feeling also invaded him and was  _his_  completely.

For the first time in his life, Law was truly free and he soon enjoyed filling his lungs with the cold morning air and drawing every feeling he could from their environment.

The sky was gray and dark as when he had first arrived at the valley, now, he didn't even know how the sun had been able to shine a few days ago in between those dense clouds that always covered the place. Thank goodness it wasn't raining that day today, nor was there any strong wind blowing around them. It was barely dawn, and still everything, from the dark mountains to the small village of smoking chimneys, seemed to be in complete calm.

The silence surrounded them as they flew weightless. The colors seemed more muted today, the bright green of the trees and the thick grass of the fields was overshadowed, the blue sky was hidden and even the bright red dragon's scales had a grayish hue. Everything was just too quiet and too disturbing. There were no birds in the air around them, they didn't see deers running through the tall pines of the mountains, not even a single farmer gardening around the village. Everything was empty. The world almost seemed to be waiting for something to happen, for the storm to unfold while all living creature took refuge in their homes, trying to hide from the huge catastrophe.

Law, astride the beast, grabbed tightly the sword that he had recovered from his cabin just moments ago, and shifted on Kidd's back while his huge wings flapped behind him at a quiet pace, getting closer and closer to the small town.

They were taking precautions to avoid any conflict, Kidd was flying high among the clouds hiding his huge body from the view of anyone who looked up, and Law had recited a camouflage spell around then. They had even planned to land away from the village so that nobody could see the dragon by any chance, and, when they reached the town, no one would recognize them thanks to heavy hooded cloaks Law had taken to hide their faces.

Everything was ready, nothing was going to happen.

However Law still felt uncomfortable. Something was wrong. His instincts screamed at him to return to the cave, that something bad was about to happen, it was a hunch he'd had since they had resumed their flight from their cottage. Law had instantly studied his surroundings, had planted spells and had been on alert since them, but nothing had caught his eye. His rational mind told him that there was nothing to worry about, that he was getting paranoid, but the feeling of discomfort still didn't fade and only it only kept increasing with each passing second they came closer to the village.

Until he couldn't help telling it to Kidd.

 _'Kidd,'_  he muttered in the dragon's mind  _'let's go back to the cave.'_

The dragon then, slowed down his advance, and turned his huge head to look at him. Huge golden eyes stared into his and a wave of warm air ruffled his hair as the dragon opened his mouth giving him a smile full of teeth the size of his leg.

 _'Why?'_ questioned the creature  _'We're almost there, it would just be a moment. I also need to do some things there, don't worry.'_

Kidd returned to beating his wings in the air, propelling them between the currents and starting to descend into a huge clearing in the dense forest to the north of the town. Law bit his lip, hesitating. Really his paranoia made no sense, they had already arrived at the village, and both of them had things to do. Law needed to talk to other people apart from the ancient dragon after months of captivity, it will make them both some good. And they were already there. It would be foolish to go back now. Furthermore, he still couldn't identify the problem, he didn't know if he was just paranoid. Was he going to make Kidd go back based on an assumption? Now that Kidd had finally agreed to take him to the village?

No, that was stupid.

Hiding his thoughts and concerns, Law shut up and just grabbed one of Kidd's heavy scales tightly as the dragon began to plummet to the ground.

It was one of the games that amused Kidd most. Law had never flown and, although he enjoyed the sense of freedom and the breathtaking views, there were things that he still hadn't gotten used too. Falling to the ground seeing the floor coming toward them in seconds, flying upside down feeling that he could fall at any time, or some of the twists and changes of direction Kidd used to do in the air, were a few of the things he hated the most. He liked to fly, but he definitely wasn't a suicidal person, and he didn't like to see how he could break his skull with one of the stupid dragon's tricks.

Kidd, of course, had realized instantly how the human heart accelerated to a furious pace, and how his body tensed, squeezing Kidd between his legs, almost strangling him when he did some tricks, and, like the good boyfriend he was, he hadn't hesitated to take advantage of it. Law swore he had never cursed anyone in his life as much as when the dragon just plummeted to the ground again and again until Law was hysterical.

This time wasn't any different , and when, at the last moment, Kidd opened his wings to stop their free fall they were doing, Law felt the air leave his lungs violently, leaving him dizzy, and the exorcist swore that when he stepped on firm ground, he was really going to choke the beast. When Kidd finally planted his feet on the ground, crushing the grass and the earth beneath his weight, Law jumped from his neck and almost considered kissing the ground.

One thing was flying in the air, quite another was to fly with a dragon whose only motivation in life was to kill him from a heart attack. Behind him, Kidd laughed as he transformed back into the enormous red-haired human.

Law just glared at him and threw the fur coat he had taken with him to hide Kidd's presence, in the dragon's face.

"Next time I'll put a saddle and a harness on you to control your suicidal impulses." he told him with his heartbeat going still a bit faster than usual thanks to the redhead's latest "joke".

Kidd just laughed, approaching him while he placed the cape over his shoulders and covered the bright red hair with the hood. His eyes were still glowing eerily in the shadows of his face, but the cape hid his powerful muscles and the strange clothes of dark silk and exquisite trim that someone like him shouldn't be wearing.

The dragon then approached him from behind and hugged his shoulders with one arm, while with the other one, he covered his head with the hood that has fallen because of the flight. Law only growled at the gesture, but did nothing to remove the dragon's body off his when the beast hugged him and rested his chin on his shoulder.

"There are other much more ... exciting and easy ways to control myself, Law." the dragon said hoarsely against the exorcist's ear as his lips slowly stroked his earlobe, drawing another shiver of pleasure from him.

Unfortunately Law still felt too much of the adrenaline from the fall and the anger for the joke in his veins to fall so easily into the cheap trick of the dragon. Maybe, sex had served the redhead to manipulate him at first, after all Law had been a blushing virgin and he hadn't have had enough experience in the matter to be able to resist, but Law learned quickly and he was starting to read the dragon too well.

"Are you talking about sex now Eustass?" he asked wryly with his eyes full of anger. "Do you want me to leave you without your beloved sex for trying to kill us?" He asked innocently.

The exorcist was delighted at how he felt the dragon instantly tense behind him, and he even caught a glimpse of his paling face as the redhead held his breath, realizing the mess he had gotten himself into.

Law wanted to laugh evilly in revenge.

"The truth is that I'm more in favor of positive-reinforcement." the millenary beast quickly explained. "What about a sex session against the kitchen table if I behave? Last time you seemed to like it." Kidd asked with an intelligent smirk on his face.

Law rolled his eyes, got rid of the redhead's grip, and began walking towards the town without waiting for the other in the least. That time in the dining room the situation had gotten out of hand and Law was still mentally punishing himself for some things he had done and that he had said to the dragon. The handcuffs hadn't been a good idea from the beginning, and it had only gotten worse with him sprawled on the damn table with the dragon completely free to do whatever he wanted. Law still felt his pulse quicken and his mouth go dry when he remembered that time. They would repeat it, of course they would, but next time he would be the one who will chain the arrogant dragon to the desk and would torture him for hours in the most degrading way until he allowed him to fucking reach his damn orgasm.

"I think not, right now the truth is that I would rather castrate you to show you what happens when you do stupid jokes." he answered, smartly ignoring what was on his mind.

Kidd growled softly and ran after him until he reached Law and took him by the hand. Sticking to his side like a stalker without being able to be more than two minutes without touching him, it seemed.

"Come on Law, don't get angry, it was only a joke." Kidd murmured, looking at him, really worried. Although Law didn't know if it was because he had just denied him sex, or because he truly regretted what he had done and was concerned about him getting angry.

When the dragon released his hand and moved it to fondle his butt gently -as if he was afraid to not be able to do it again- the exorcist realized that it clearly was the first option.

"Fuck you." Law whispered, completely mad, before grabbing the smart hand and squeezing it until he practically crushed the bones and Kidd cursed under his breath.

.

.

.

The two men sitting in the dark room raised their heads at once. The fire in the fireplace in front of them reflected in their eyes, and they shone bright with victory in them.

They had been waiting for hours -sitting in that little basement they had payed for a few days before- around the almost extinct fire and in total darkness. It had been a dungeon that had been converted into a small room of the city hall a few years ago, but that still retained the damp, moldy walls of stone, and the wooden cots with a few blankets on them.

It was what the mayor had offered them when they hadn't found any other place in town to stay. Surely the mayor had wanted to take revenge on them by offering the two exorcist some form of horrible place to stay. He had probably believed that they wouldn't endure living in those conditions of moisture and darkness.

Unfortunately it hadn't worked in the least, because both men had been in much worse situations and this place was more comfortable than sleeping in the wet floor. Furthermore, the room had served its purpose without any problem. It had allowed them to sleep with a ceiling over their heads, to dry their wet clothes on the fire, and to cast the countless search and protection spells, far away from the eyes of the townspeople.

And it had been two of those spells they had cast days ago, the ones that had made them raise their heads and making them alert now.

The first one was used to find people. It was a small pendulum that swung in the direction in which the person was. It was definitely something useful but that had limitations, because they needed something that had belonged to the person they wanted to find, and because it only acted on an area proportional to the power of the one who cast the spell. In this case they had used some bandages covered with Law's blood that they had found in the cabin and that had undoubtedly worked without any problem; unfortunately neither of them had too much magic power for the spell and the area on which the spell had worked had only covered the small town, without any results so far.

The second spell was different however, it was just a few whispered words in old Latin that didn't need more than the reciting to work. It was a simple alarm. If any creature they should kill crossed the invisible barrier that the spell created, the alarm would be activated in their minds, alerting them in seconds. It was a spell that every Exorcist used when they hunted a monster, because it always got rid of unnecessary surprises and it would also inform them of the power of the creature, because the stronger the alarm sounded, the more powerful the enemy would be.

Now, in that moment, both spells were strongly activated, the pendulum pointed to a direction from where it hung, almost trying to fly, and found Law, and the alarm sounded in his mind so hard it was almost breaking their skull with howling.

The two had been activated at the same time after hours of waiting. Just and exactly at the same time. It was too much of a coincidence.

Both men looked at each other, not quite sure of what to think of that. There could be many theories: that Law had allied with the enemy, that the enemy had make Law a prisoner, that the damn dragon had eaten him... unfortunately that wasn't the time to start making up absurd hypotheses.

It was time to hunt.

Rising at the same time without saying a word, the two men went to their light luggage bags and began to arm themselves. Poisoned daggers in their boots, knives and needles in the forearms, swords, arrows, all the weapons they had, were hidden and locked with practiced speed after years doing the same thing over and over again.

The exorcists could fail once, but they never did twice. So said the code, and so was their duty to carry it out. Law could have failed, but the two of them would not.

So, when they both finished arming themselves in mere minutes and in a way that would make them look like serial killers to ordinary people, they left the room with clear and determined minds. There was only one thing to do, the rest didn't matter, the orders had been clear and they shouldn't worry about anything else.

They would recover Law. Dead or alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can u feel the tension? how everything is gonna go to hell so soon? Also, I don't know if you catch it, but Law's sword it's a present from Cora, I will talk more about him in the future, but for now let's go slow and easy~
> 
> And about the next update...*nervously starts to laugh watching the upcoming exams and practical classes*
> 
> See u pervers~


	15. Beginning

The village, as well as the whole world that day, seemed to be completely empty. Not a soul was walking through the cobblestone streets -full of mud after the storm- and even the doors and windows of the houses remained closed. Law didn't know if it was for the weather or some other strange and obscure reason, but that fact did nothing to calm the stupid hunch he had felt all morning. The one that kept repeating that something was wrong. Still unsettled he walked near Kidd, in an attempt to take refuge in the heat the dragon gave off. Kidd in response gave him a worried look, and without saying a word, he took his hand and clasped his fingers around it in a silent show of support. But he didn't stop their little trip and just kept advancing through the deserted streets.

It really looked like a ghost town.

The gray sky full of clouds obscured the gloomy scenery and the mountains' fog had come down to the valley, sinking everything in a strange dimmed light and in a mute silence. Their footsteps echoed with every step on the wet cobblestones, and even the black houses -still demolished after Kidd's last attack- were barely standing, with blackened mossy stone and wooden beams protruding from their sides like spears.

"Why the hell did you decide to raze the village the night we met?" Law asked when they walked again next to the remains of an old family house, riddled with moss and ashes of a few weeks ago.

Kidd just shrugged and looked away from the place of slaughter.

"They have to pay me a small tax every six months, nothing too expensive, just a few coins. I took the valley as mine before they came, and their ancestors promised me gold if I let them build the village." Kidd said simply, as if watching a village grow before his eyes for several generations was normal "In the last years the tax had dropped dramatically, and I came here to see what was happening."

That's when they finally arrived at the village square, with the ruined church and the lone village hall. It was then, that they saw the first sign of life since they'd left their den. Right in the center of the square, around a centenary oak with leafy branches, the villagers had set up small market stalls. It was nothing too big like in greatest cities, just a bunch stalls with what the villagers had cultivated this week and hoped to sell for some coins. There was a small farmer showing a few skinny cabbages to a big voluptuous woman, the baker was trying to attract some customers to his post where dark colored hot rye bread was lying, and even a smiling fisherman and hunters were there with the pray of the day.

Kidd stood still for a moment watching the lonely place where only a handful of people were buying anything. Law gave him a curious nudge, encouraging him to continue the story.

"And then what?" He asked when the dragon looked at him with those bright golden eyes under the hood.

"When I arrived, I found the local priest giving a talk to the people of the village about how I was a horrible monster from hell that should be better dead than alive" he bluntly said "The villagers cheered him and…it simply brought to my mind some old memories, I got angry and well, you know what happened" Kidd said moving toward the silent market trying to avoid the conversation.

"That's why you destroyed the church?" Law asked him while watching the abandoned building through the thick branches of the tree. Following Kidd.

The redhead groaned in front of him, nodding. Law bit his lip indecisively. Clearly the priest's speech had hurt the proud dragon, and just because of it Law wanted to gut the idiot priest. However, he realized that he had also been one of those fans that Kidd mentioned. He has been convinced that he should kill those beasts and save the world from their toxic existence. A few months ago he had understood the villagers fear of the unknown, and had needed to protect his people from a monster that seemed to have no rival. Funny how a person could change his point of view in such a short time and with a little knowledge. Maybe that was all that was needed. Knowledge. Understanding the creatures like Kidd and understanding why they did what they did, maybe with a little communication and dialog the conflicts could be avoided. There could be evil creatures that really had to be eradicated, as there were humans that could cause unspeakable tragedies. But there were people like Kidd too. Creatures that only needed a bit of understanding.

"I'm sorry" Law said anyway, feeling the need to apologize for what his race had done to their kind, and the damage they had done to the dragon.

Kidd said nothing for a while and just walked deeper into the square. Until he finally stopped short, and without looking at him, he replied:

"It wasn't your fault" and although his voice was tense and serious, Law could see perfectly the slight weakness in his voice and even a little gratitude.

Helplessly and acting instinctively, he moved the small step that separated him from the redhead and hugged him from behind, burying his head between his shoulder blades and drowning in his scent. Kidd tensed at first, but in the next moment he was turning around and devouring his mouth passionately.

In the middle of the square, in view of everyone and, as always, not giving a fuck of what people thought.

Law liked that part of the redhead, the one that acted as he wanted, wild, uncivilized, without accepting any standards or rules from a society that was just a small spark of light in his eternal life. It was refreshing to see the freedom in which the man walked. Doing what he wanted, when he wanted.

Law, however, had always to worry about what other people thought or see of his true self in the militarized religious society that was the Vatican. Maybe the dragon was used to behave not caring of what other people might think, but he was not. That's why, at that moment, with the dragon kissing him, Law wanted to gut Kidd badly. In silence he thanked the dense fog surrounding them and whatever magical being that had made the square deserted.

His face turned red and he quickly broke the kiss, scared. In the next moment he began to look around waiting for someone to shout or point at them, contemptuously judging them in their heads. But as always, there was nobody around. Law then gritted his teeth at his own childish behavior and then sent a murderous look at the redhead. Kidd however just laughed happily and affectionately stroked his still red cheek.

"Come on, you wanted to buy some things right?" and smiling again he led him to the market.

Together and not separating even an inch from each other, they began to go through the market stopping at various shops. In the cheese shop the dragon paid a plump and gentle old woman for two large pieces of round cheese; one hard and strong that stung in the mouth when they ate it, but that leaves a pleasant aftertaste when they swallowed, and another that treacherously melt between the fingers after you cut it with a knife. Of course Kidd couldn't help whispering a risqué comment into Law's ear when the exorcist licked the remains of the pearly melted cheese from his fingers.

Then they bought two loaves of freshly baked rye bread from the baker, and a small basket filled with fruits and vegetables of the season: golden apples, pears and a handful of nuts filled the basket with mushrooms of various shapes and sizes, onions and carrots.

Law looked around, slightly overwhelmed with everything. He had never been at a market, and much less had he bought anything. In the Vatican, servants prepared the food for them so they would just had to focus on the training and missions, and while going outside the Vatican, the village taverns always had good food to eat. Law looked surprised at Kidd fiercely arguing with the fishmonger for two fish that were exactly the same for him, but that clearly, for Kidd, were not fresh enough. Law wanted to laugh at Kidd for this strangely normal situation and the irony of the scene -the dragon arguing over the price of fish with a pissed human, as any housewife would do- but curiously at the end he could only smile happy and glad for being able to do and see this side of the dragon.

Law watched every store in amazement, every perfume and spice that a strange woman, covered in veils and gold bracelets, was selling, looking at each cloth, gleaming in vibrant and bright colors, that a friendly girl sold in the clothing store. Kidd followed him everywhere without saying anything, jsur asking if Law wanted to buy something, but as always, and after years of training this would take time to disappear, Law concluded that he didn't need anything.

at least until they reached the soap shop.

There, in front of the excited look of the lady selling the products, Law almost wiped out the entire store. Kidd, staring skeptical at the soap, began arguing telepathically in Law's mind and telling him to leave the cleansers, explaining him about the need he had, to cover Law's scent with his own as if he was a damn dog marking its territory. An aroma that would disappear with the soap. Law just looked at him like he was mad, paid the lady and defined the conversation as finished when he swore that he would not spend several hours with the dragon's semen covering his body after their last sex session.

It was time to start having some hygiene.

Occasionally, while talking to the fruit seller about the price or about certain vegetables, the dragon lowered his hand and rubbed Law's ass with enthusiasm and without any shame, reaching sometimes through the folds of the coat and pants until his calloused fingers touched the sensitive skin of his butt. Law always turned red up until his ears and was murdering the dragon with a glare while trying to escape the contact. Kidd had already received several stomps or elbows in his ribs, but he kept doing it over and over again, with Law not being able to do anything but endure the contact in fear of being discovered by someone, if he started to scream at the dragon, and then getting beheaded for being _'aberrations of nature'_.

On the other hand it was slightly exciting to feel the other so needy to touch him, as sometimes Kidd didn't even seem to realize what he was doing until Law returned him to the world with a good nudge on his stomach. Moreover, Law would never admit it, but the exorcist wasn't trying to resist the dragon with all the force he should, and he even gave back sometimes a caress to the redhead. A light grip on his hip, a brush of lips against his collarbone when nobody saw them. Law contained the groans and shivers every time he felt Kidd's hands on his body and Kidd growled low and possessive every time Law responded.

However, after a few hours, they had bought everything they needed. Law finally leaned against the rough bark of the tree in the center of the square, surrounded by bags and a overbearing Kidd attached to his body, rubbing his butt again while he purred satisfied.

"Shall we go now?" Law asked tiredly when the other seemed satisfied with manhandling and stepped a few steps away from him.

Law still wanted to leave the place as fast as possible. He was having fun, whatever he was doing with the dragon was always fun, but the sense of danger was still there and it did nothing but increase and bristle his hair like a scared cat.

But Kidd was ignoring him.

"No, I still want to buy you something" Kidd said, smiling at him happily "it's a surprise" he added with a mysterious look as he watched Law leaning against the tree.

Law tried to smile at how adorable the redhead idiot could be sometimes, but the uneasy feeling was persisting and at the end the smile only came out as a forced grin.

"Can't you leave it for another day?" He asked in a last attempt.

Kidd just looked at him amused.

"Why? We're already here" he told Law, suddenly approaching him and stealing a quick kiss from his lips "Stay here for a moment, it will not take long."

Law instantly panicked. He didn't know why, but this was wrong. The strange feeling flooded him again and the air escaped from his lungs as if he had been punched. He quickly tried to stop the redhead, but the man was already running to somewhere in the village and Law could only follow him with his eyes.

The long brown fur coat covered his figure from behind, but Law could perfectly see the strong shoulders and the wide back that he had memorized in his mind for eternity, the long, muscled legs advancing with wide strides, eating up the distance, and even some red locks that escaped the heavy hood despite all the effort they had put into hiding his flaming hair.

Kidd turned around the corner of an old house and disappeared out of sight.

Law leaned back against the tree behind him, feeling his heart beating in this chest, and a panic attack taking control of him for no apparent reason. What was going on? Why was he feeling so trapped, so scared?

And it was then when a shadow covered his figure and Law looked up startled, that the world seemed to crash and colide around him as his instinct had been warning him.

Everything seemed to gather intensity, the birds sang again louder than ever, the fog seemed to dissipate and the world regained the breath it'd been holding. Everything seemed to accelerate and take action. Everything but Law. In his case everything seemed to go slower than usual as he focused on absurd details as he watched the man in front of him.

The black coat with the golden cross - the same as the one he had been carrying for years but that only seemed much more worn out and duller-. The jutte behind him glowing with a blue lethal hue that were almost the same color as the man's silvery hair. The cigar, always in his mouth, gave off wisps of smoke that curled up into the air until they disappeared, and the frown above the brown eyes that watched him promising pain and anger.

For a moment no one said anything and the both man just stood still, looking at each other. One clearly angry and the other too surprised by the encounter to say anything.

At the end Law's mind functioned again and he pushed the panic he had at the sudden encounter to a tiny corner of his mind. Shit, why has it to be Smoker, the white hunter? He needed to find a way to escape, and they also needed to hide for a good amount of time in the cave if the Vatican had sent him. _They needed to escape now_.

However, he couldn't tell Kidd to leave the place now on his own and find a safe place to stay for a while. Knowing the redhead, Kidd would certainly rush to his defense when Law told him that something was wrong and that he was in danger. The dragon would eventually be killed for being an overprotective and brainless idiot. No, the exorcist needed to go to a safe place first and then call Kidd to flee away. Law needed to get rid of Smoker first, one way or another.

"Captain" Law said, addressing the man in front of him with his rightful title in order "What are you doing here?" He asked feigning a calm smile.

The bigger and stronger man didn't fell for his stupid attempt. With too much force, he suddenly grabbed Law by the collar cape he was wearing, and pushed him against the tree behind, glaring at him hatefully.

"Stop your bullshit Trafalgar, your stupid mind games don't work with me and you know it, " Smoker said irritably, releasing a bitter smoke cloud against Law's face "you know exactly why I'm here".

Law said nothing, but his fake innocent eyes and the forced smile disappeared from his face to be replaced by a calculating look with a cold and a hard expression. Of course he knew his tricks wouldn't work on the captain. That was one of his main problems now, that _they_ had sent Smoker, they knew each other too good. Smoker had even trained him when Law was small, the tricks the tanned man used had been taught by the captain himself.

So he left the charade and just glared the at other pissed.

"Who sent you? Doflamingo or Akainu?" Law asked, because the situation would greatly change depending on the response.

"Them both" the other replied releasing his shirt but crossing his arms in front of him without allowing him any escape route, cornering him against the tree "you're too important for both of them, of course they'd worry when you take too long on a mission".

Law nodded. That had always been the problem, his value. But he said nothing more and he didn't ask anything else, he only studied the white hunter internally wondering how much the man had seen. Had Smoker been spying him and the dragon since they have come to market, or had he only seen Kidd leave? Did he know that Kidd was the dragon, or had the hunter only taken him for a mere human Law had grown fond of? Questions rose in his mind and yet he couldn't answer any. If he talked he could unveil too much and then he could put the redhead in danger. It was better to remain silent and just deduce from the captain's words how much he knew.

"Who was the guy that just left?" Smoker asked instantly as if reading his mind.

"No one" Law was quick to respond, leaning on the tree with his back and squeezing the sheath of the sword in his hands, that he had picked up just a moment ago from the abandoned cabin.

"Trafalgar stop lying, I'm not stupid. I just saw you both kissing. You've broken the code" he said, scrutinizing him.

Law cursed in his mind Kidd's stupid and public displays of affection. He knew that it was going to bring them problems from the start, he knew from the beginning that coming to the village would bring them problems, why hadn't Kidd listened to him?

"No" Law denied quickly "I haven't broken the code".

Smoker only kept silent, analyzing him with those sharp brown eyes.

"Law" he started again, calling him by his first name as when they were kids "you were kissing someone, that alone violates the twentieth order of the code, the chastity, and he even was a man, which violates the general code of the Vatican" the hunter reminded him raising an eyebrow sarcastically .

Almost calling him an idiot in his face for not creating at least a decent excuse. Law mentally hit himself. He had to start using his brain and he had to start using it now.

"I'm using him," he said quickly "to find the dragon".

Smoker frowned and shifted his weight from one foot to another without leaving even the slightest loophole for escape, without giving the slightest opening to strike if they fought.

"So the dragon exists? Do you think the boy has anything to do with him?" the white-haired man questioned, glancing at the street where Kidd had disappeared just a few moments ago. "Should we interrogate him since you are taking so long?"

Instinct took control of Law's mind abruptly. The image of Kidd being tortured by Smoker like the exorcist used to torture their victims -leave him reduced to a bloody pulp unable to breathe- destroyed all the barriers he had tried to raise again around his emotions. He couldn't contain himself, he couldn't maintain the charade he had created.

"No!" - He shouted in the face of the white hunter. With a rage and possessiveness he had never heard in his voice, holding back at the last moment, gritting his teeth and glaring at a surprised Smoker "Don't dare to touch him!"

Smoker smiled victoriously, but looking at him as if he couldn't recognize Law anymore.

"You have lost the code" He declared. And this time it was so obvious, that Law didn't bother to deny it again.

"So what?" Law said with the arrogance he had learnt from Kidd, refusing to admit defeat, daring him to say something that could harm him in the least.

"You've got to go back to the Vatican" the hunter answered "to be reeducated".

Law frowned blankly.

"What?" he asked surprised.

The exorcists weren't reeducate, the Vatican didn't try to correct his behavior or take him to the right direction again if they lose their path. If an exorcist lost the code, he was killed. Like a tree that doesn't produce any fruit is cut. The _Reeducation_ had only been attempted once, and the result had been so catastrophic and horrific as that it had been forbidden in the order forever.

Law stared at Smoker not understanding anything, and the man only returned a more intense and furious glare that made completely clear that he was understanding perfectly what was going through Law's mind.

"Those were the orders" he explained himself.

"What orders? What did they made you do?" Law asked starting to panic again helplessly.

"You don't need to know" Smoker evaded.

"Smoker" Law inquired tensely, separating from the bark of the tree behind him to approach the higher man and look into his eyes.

Smoker tried to ignore his questioning and scared look, but in the end, and as he had always done when he had to give bad news to Law, he finally confessed.

"The orders I received were to bring you back by any cost, both insisted, Akainu and Doflamingo, it didn't mattered if you were alive or dead. If you were dead I had to return your body to Rome to bury properly, but if you were alive..." Smoker stopped for a moment staring at him ashamed. Law knew there laid the problem.

"What?" Law ask waiting for the horror with a cold mind.

"If you were alive I had to rescue you if you'd been captured by the enemy, but if you had broken the code... Akainu proposed the Reeducation. He said someone of your status and your offspring could survive it. Doflamingo flatly refused"

Of course Doflamingo had refused. The blond man had always protected him since he was just ten years and had arrived at the order, the blond man had always been his second family and someone who, despite all the chaos and terror around them, had tried to ensure his safety. Doflamingo would had surely proposed to kill him for breaking the code, a much sweeter death than the terror that the reeducation would be. Surely Doflamingo would have stood against Akainu in the decision. Surely he would have stood between the bullet and Law's head if they attempted to kill him. But it was useless. Nobody could win against Akainu.

"And the dragon? What happened with the dragon?" Law asked then, fearing that they had planned something against Kidd.

Smoker shook his head.

"The orders were to recover you, they would take care of the dragon later" the man murmured low, almost feeling sorry for him, making Law clench his fists angrily "I'm sorry".

And Law exploded.

"No, you're not sorry, if you were sorry you would lie to them" he shouted like a small child, because deep down he knew that no one could lie to the Vatican, years ago potions and techniques were designed to analyze whether or not exorcists told the truth, years ago the exorcists had lost their freedom. Smoker looked at him frowning and Law couldn't help it. "I won't go back" he sentenced.

Smoker sent him a look of pity, almost pleading.

"Law, I don't want to fight with you, please spare us both this nonsense" Smoker said getting anyway in a defense position and grabbing the juttes on his back.

Law also retreated to the old tree and drew his sword that flashed in the sunlight.

And then the inevitable fight began.

Law struck first with the anger and self-preservation in each of his movements. It's been weeks since he had held a weapon, but thanks to the training he had been doing his muscles remembered every move and every feint. Without much effort he made Smoker retreat with a few blows separating him from the tree and food bags at his feet.

In the order, Smoker had had a superior title to Law, this meant that he was technically more skillful and stronger than him. But the reality was very different. Law and white hunter were equal in strength, Law even surpassed him in some areas like the magic spells. The difference between them was that Law had refused to accept Smoker's job when they had offered it to him. He hadn't meant to steal a position that clearly fitted the man, and he hadn't wanted to take responsibility for other people's lives.

Yet at this moment, and after having been training for weeks with the dragon, Law got instantly ahead. The sword whistled through the air and the kicks and the metallic shocks were barely dodged by the older man. Both were strong and fast, both had intelligence to overthrow their enemy with tricks and both controlled the magic that would serve as a shield in a life or death situation.

Both were good fighters. But Law was better.

With a slight kick on Smoker's chest, Law pushed him back and made the man trip over a paving stone on the floor. Law turned his sword in his hand, aimed and, not letting the other regain his balance with a slight pirouette, Law pushed forward and thrust his bloody sword into the shoulder of the white haired man.

Both fell to the ground. Smoker screaming and dropping his weapon, and Law piercing the shoulder joint down to the ground, also breaking the stones with the tip of his sword. Pinning him to the ground. Hurting the man but not killing him. Causing a fatal injury if it wasn't healed but still leaving him a little chance of surviving.

Not lowering himself to their level.

Law glared at him with hate. Despite the friendship they've had, even though Smoker had taught him so many things, he had threatened his new life with the dragon. He had threatened Kidd, the only person who had really made him feel happy and loved in all his life. And he won't tolerate it. So he ignored the cries of pain of the white haired man and just focused on making him understand the situation.

"I've won," he said making it clear that he couldn't stand in a fight against him "and now you're going to get away from here and you will leave me and the dragon in peace." he determined.

But the truth was that he didn't care what Smoker did, when he got rid of the hunter, he would return to Kidd and they both would disappear from the place for a few years. The dragon had told him how he travelled the world going from place to place, how, after the last incidents, he had been thinking of doing it again. Law couldn't see a better time to do so.

However, instead of seeing a look of betrayal or surrender in Smoker's face, he only watched one of victory and absolute satisfaction.

"The romanticism is making you lose skills Law, you're not as deadly as you were before" the older man mocked while his wound kept oozing red blood and started dirtying ground.

And then Law heard the little sound of someone falling from the branches of the huge tree, right to the ground at his back. Shit, Smoker was right, he had forgotten it. The anger and panic had clouded his view, before, with the code repressing every emotion he felt, this would have not happened.

The rescue missions were always made in teams of two to avoid repeating the same incident and to quickly solve the problem. He immediately pulled the sword from Smoker body under his and turned to behead however was behind him.

He was too slow.

Before he had been able to turn, a precise blow, practiced a thousand times, fell on his neck hitting the right nerve and knocking him out in just seconds.

The world seemed to move around him as he lost the sensitivity and the world stopped to make sense. His face hit the ground and he barely identified the guy with the cap behind him that had left him unconscious. His throat tightened into a knot.

"Penguin" he muttered, with a voice more asleep than awake. His brother in arms, his companion in all those years before the missions had begun. His best friend.

Of course. The Vatican always had a twisted sense of humor.

The world began to lose focus and slowly everything started to plunge into darkness, however, the last sentence that his friend gave him, would remain engraved in his subconsciousness for many days. 'Why had you betrayed the code Law?'

It sounded so fatal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They got Law muaahaha, what Kidd will do? What will happen to Law? What the hell Akainu and Doffy do in this story? Where's the seven dragons? Where's Kidd's gang? What exactly the order of exorcist is? The code? The reeducation?
> 
> Questions, questions questions. And you all will have to wait to answer them because, ladies and gentleman, I won't update till February.
> 
> (I have a life and a thing called exam period).
> 
> Have fun~


	16. Separation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, after a month and a half here I am again, after the war and pain (also called exams), here I am reborning from my asses. I'm sure u don't evem missed me u bastards, but in my revenge, I promise I will make u all cry. Be prepared. Also a lot of thanks to The RedHarlequin for being my beta in this one, love u darling.

Kidd ran through the streets feeling slightly excited. Despite the bad day with all the dense fog obscuring everything in sight, making breathing a difficult thing, and despite the silent and also desert environment around him, Kidd couldn't stop grinning like an idiot.

Carefully he dodged another hole filled with water on the treacherous cobblestones, and covered his head with the hood trying to hide the red locks that, despite his care, kept escaping. Kidd bit his lip and looked around him quickly, worried about anyone seeing his slip, he didn't want to be caught now. But thankfully the street was deserted. More confident now, he sped up, wanting to meet with Law again and go home to get rid of the wet clothes and take refuge in the warm arms of his mate.

Unconsciously, he pressed the package in his arms and a bright smile slipped onto his lips again. It was a gift for Law, a thick volume of anatomy that he had seen a few weeks ago in the village, and that instantly reminded him of the dark haired boy. Law always had a book in his hands, it didn't matter what it was about, but clearly, he had a weakness for medicine related books. Law said that is was because his father had been a doctor after leaving the order, and he had read Law those books when he had been little. They always reminded him of the old man.

That was what Law said, but Kidd also suspected that the boy also liked to open up and murder things, to watch them bleed and dissect them, as he was always threatening him with it. Yet no one could deny that the raven haired boy liked those books, and just because of that Kidd had bought it.

When he had seen the volume for the first time, he had not even thought about buying it. He had still hated Law, and Kidd hadn't seen any advantage in spending his beautiful treasure on something the other wouldn't even appreciate. He hadn't seen any way he could emotionally blackmail the mortal with the book, so he had left it. But now was different, now Kidd couldn't wait to get to where Law was and give it to him.

The redhead couldn't wait to see Law's surprise when seeing the gift, how his eyes would travel the book's cover and his hands caress the worn leather surface as if it were a wounded animal he wanted to comfort. He couldn't wait to see the excitement in those gray eyes, the affection in his gesture and the smile of pure happiness from the stupid gift. And then, with some luck, they would return to the den and Law would jump at him more cloying than ever, he would devour his mouth and would move his hips against Kidd's own in that way Kidd loved, to reward the dragon for his considerate gift.

But no, he hadn't bought the book to turn the raven haired boy into a loving and passionate being and for the desperate sex, no, he had bought it to make Law happy. He had definitely bought it for that.

So Kidd circled the corner and entered the square where the market and the huge tree was, and just walked through the shops now more lively thanks to the late hour, and finally reached the huge tree with thick branches, standing in the middle of the place.

And then he stopped confused.

Where was Law?

Puzzled, he looked around searching for him because, maybe, Law had moved from the tree. Kidd looked through the branches above his head, around the place, but he just found the shopping bags they had carried together. Right where they had left them.

Where have Law gone? He had told him to wait for him there, if Law had left he could at least have said something telepathically. Now Kidd began to feel adrenaline entering his veins and the feeling running over his body, nervous for not finding his other half. The damn link turning him paranoid again over a stupid issue. However, he was pissed. The dragon decided then that, when he finally founded Law, he was going to punish him. They had joked several times with the handcuffs, and although Law was still reluctant to use them after the last time in the kitchen, if he disappeared again in that way, Kidd swore he would make good use of them.

He couldn't suffer a heart attack each time this happened.

Kidd shook his head, forcing himself to concentrate. Now the priority was to find the other and calm his stupid nerves, so where could Law be? Maybe he had returned to the market bored to wait for him. Kidd opened his senses and examined each little stand one by one, but there was no trace of his lovely mate.

Maybe...maybe Law had taken the chance, and had left him alone.

Kidd frowned and clenched his fists. He forced himself to dismiss the idea and soothe his anxiety and insecurity. Law had not left him. They had the link, they were united, and loved and needed each other. It was impossible to pretend or imitate such ancient magic. The boy also loved him, he couldn't ignore it and leave him, Law had not lied or tried to escape.

Kidd took a deep breath and re-examined his surroundings more closely, forcing his pulse and the panic that came back every second without seeing Law, to calm the fuck down. The bags had not being moved one iota, nothing was missing, everything was absolutely in place. Kidd inspected the bark of the tree looking for a scratch that indicated something, inspected the ground...

And then he saw it.

A huge bloodstain that was beginning to dry and turn as black as the soil and paving, and, right in the middle of the bloodstain, a round stone that appeared to have been cut in half by a weapon.

A weapon like Law's sword.

The book slipped from his grasp and hit the floor with a light thud. Kidd's hands began to shake, as the most intense panic that had never felt took possession of him. Had someone done something to Law? Had someone hurt his partner? His mate?

The roar was escaping from his throat before he noticed it.

.

.

.

When Law regained consciousness, he felt his head about to burst thanks to the throbbing pain in his temples. His mouth tasted of metal and bile, and there was a buzz somewhere that was distracting and driving him insane. Law growled in his throat and coughed slightly, trying to swallow a breath of fresh air to help him clear his mind.

That's when the musty and damp smell of the room in which he was entered his lungs, making him grimace in disgust. The exorcist then opened his eyes with difficulty, trying not to get dizzy again, and found himself lying on the moldy floor of what looked like a dungeon, with his hands tied behind his back by thick strong ropes. His arms had also been restrained against his chest with strong chains preventing all movement, and his legs weren't any luckier.

He was absolutely immobilized.

Law tried to get up and raised his cheek from the sticky, cold ground on which he was laying, with repulsion to it. His joints protested instantly, indicating that he had been in the uncomfortable position for quite a while, but he finally leaned against the wall at his back with his legs bent in front of him, and breathed deeply.

Then he glared at Smoker, sitting in front of him with a glass full of a strange substance.

They were in the dungeons of the town hall, Law, who had explored all the village when he arrived, realized. It was one of the filthy cells restored for living, one of the cells of the stupid mayor who's only purpose in life was apparently to make his life miserable.

The room had a fireplace that barely warmed the frozen air of the room, and two tiny beds against irregular and stinky walls. Smoker and Penguin had drawn spells on walls and floors, had took some chairs to sit by the fire, and there were also some cooking pots.

But nothing that will serve him to escape.

The door to the room was clearly sealed, and with the amount of restrictions and chains Law had on his body, he would be unable to take two steps without the white haired man realizing it, and quickly knocking him out. So Law waited. He couldn't manipulate Smoker as he had done a lot of times with other jailers, those tricks had stopped working after the fifth time, when Smoker had noticed what he was doing and had only defended from Law's words. The student may have surpassed the teacher in some ways, but in others he was still the youngest and most inexperienced one.

Law sighed as he felt Smoker's glare digging into his body. Not even blinking. Almost looking as if he was killing Law mentally. The raven haired boy rolled his eyes, making fun of him and his melodrama, and that's when a familiar scent reached his nose and then he realized what the older was drinking. It was the stupid potion of San Miguel, which he had used to heal.

Wow, so the other had to reach such extremes to heal the wound that Law had inflicted upon him. Law smiled in a cocky grin he had learned from the dragon himself.

He knew the gesture would only bring more problems to him, it will show even more how much he had broken the code. Law knew the other could blame and hurt him only for that smile, he knew that the best thing he could do now was to submit to the code again, and return to hide what he felt, to lock his feelings and soul under a shell that nobody could destroy.

But he refused to do that.

Not only because of his new ideals, but because he knew that this little gesture would enervate the other exorcist. If he refused to submit, he would prove to Smoker that he preferred to rebel against the code and receive pain and suffering, than return to the old rules. It would show that he didn't regret having broken the code in the least, and, as always, he would destroy the olde's own schemes and ideals.

And as Law predicted, Smoker frowned in offense and doubt in his eyes, and took another sip of the foul potion, tensing his body when it started to take effect and close the injury.

"So what now?" Law couldn't help asking sarcastically while still glaring at the man in front of him "Are you going to deliver me to the Vatican as if I don't mean anything to you?" If he was going to die at least he will make his executioner regret it. Even though they were old friends, he wasn't going to allow them to continue with their lives as if nothing had happened after they took him away from Kidd.

However Smoker answered didn't try to defend himself as he always did with a 'you mean nothing, the exorcists feel nothing'. The man only reached into the pocket of the coat he was wearing and threw something on the floor between them.

"What is this?" He asked as the object described a wave in the air before falling with metal sound into the ground. Just in front of the fireplace, instantly giving off sparkles of gold and red with the fire.

They were the bracelets that Kidd had given him, when he had offered Law his treasure. The bracelets that Law had not removed since then, except for bathing because, without them, he felt naked and vulnerable. Kidd had joked several times because of it, but the exorcist had always seen the proud and possessive look the dragon send his way whenever he saw Law wearing them. Kidd liked to see Law wearing them, and the exorcist didn't mind it as long as he could make the proud dragon happy.

Smoker had clearly discovered them when he had chained him, and now the precious objects laid completely dead in front of Law, as if they had lost all value and shine, for not decorating Law's wrist. As if they were an awful incriminating evidence, instead of the best and most precious gift that Law had ever received.

The smirk in Law's face disappeared without him noticing and his gray eyes returned to become as hard and cold as when he had still followed the code.

Because to follow it again might not be so bad after all. If he returned to hold the code, he could control his emotions again, he would suppress his rage and think rationally. A thing that he desperately needed now. Because the order shouldn't know anything about the bracelets, it couldn't know about Kidd, it should never know anything about the dragon and what Law and it shared.

He needed to protect Kidd. He needed to lie.

"I do not know what that is" he answered firmly, with a cold voice, as dead and devoid of emotion as was required by code.

Smoker slammed the glass down on the table, and stood up from the chair clearly pissed. The code allowed anger. It was one of the few emotions it allowed, along with respect or pain, it said that those emotions might be useful. The anger in the fight, respect for superiors and pain in punishment. Although always in little amount, an exorcist always had to learn to control them. Respect couldn't fall into adoration as they worshiped only one God, the anger couldn't fall into rage because then they would be easily controlled by the enemy and lose focus, and pain ... the pain couldn't turn into agony because they would be seen then as weak and would be killed because of it.

However, at this moment, while Smoker moved around the room, collecting the bracelets and kneeling in front of Law, the older man didn't seem to be controlling the emotion as well as they should.

"The redheaded boy give them to you, right? Were you sold for some gold bracelets? Is that all you are worth?" Smoker screamed in his face while squeezing the jewels in his hand as if trying to bend them so they disappeared.

And Law finally understood what was happening.

Smoker had always worried about him, it was almost like an obsession. He had trained Law, they had even slept and bathed together as children. His teachers had complained about their attitude, but Smoker had never done anything that could earn more than a punishment or reprimand, he had always known how to control himself in front of others and in front of Law. He had never done or said anything that could get him killed.

But the dark haired boy was much smarter than what he showed, and he had been able to read the gestures, he understood the quibbling and double meanings in their conversations. How Smoker smiled proudly whenever Law showed his intelligence, as if Law was his possession, or how the caresses and accidental bumps kept increasing. Yet at the time, Law had not said anything. If he had, if he had discovered the white haired man, the man would now be dead.

But now, as he watched the pissed eyes of the older man while he regretted not having revealed him years ago, Law could only see a rejected and jealous man, ready to kill whoever stood in his way.

So Law said nothing. Because if he lied the other would know, because if he told the truth, Smoker would go out to kill Kidd, no mattering if he knew or not, that Kidd was a dragon. Law keep silent despite the hard and angry look Smoker sent his way.

"Who is he?" He asked again with that serious and grave voice, getting closer and closer to Law's face in one of his intimidating attempts, while the smell of cigars surrounded Law like an old memory.

Law keep his mouth shut, and, as he always did when the captain tried to intimidate him in that way, he turned his head away completely ignoring him. Smoker punched the wall next to his face and without another word he stood and walked away from him, knowing that, no mattered how much he insisted, he would get nothing from Law.

Law understood every gesture he made thereafter, the white-haired man had always been a man of few words and Law, from the beginning, had to learn to read his body language. Now Law only saw a desperate and powerless man taking his friend to a sure death. He only saw a jealous and frustrated man for not getting what he wanted.

Law refused to pity him.

"Why did you have to betray the code? Why for someone like him?" Smoker began with hatred as he paced the room with the bracelet still in his hands "What can a stupid farmer in a remote village offer you? Have you betrayed us for someone who can't even read? Why him?"

Law wanted to roll his eyes.

Great, now he had to listen to the jealous critic of the redhead. If Smoker only knew the truth, if he knew the guy he so stupidly hated was an ancient dragon smarter than anyone Law had ever met, and with a ridiculous force that could kill a village in seconds...

But the best thing Law could do was to say nothing, to not draw attention to Kidd and keep pretending he was just a mere farmer. Although his blood boiled in rage with Smoker's comments, although he wanted to break the other exorcist's face for talking like that about the dragon, _his dragon_ , Law couldn't say anything.

Thank God the exorcist didn't have to endure the nonsense much more, when the bedroom door opened, and Penguin entered the scene.

Law watched how Smoker instantly hid the bracelets and pretended everything was alright. If Penguin had seen or heard anything, he said nothing. He just went to the bed and left a bunch of stuff on it.

"The carriage and the horses are ready, I have just took the luggage, the trunks are the only thing left." He announced, ignoring the strange atmosphere in the room.

Smoker nodded and went to pick up the last things.

"Do you have the gag and the drug?" Asked the white-haired man.

And Law went on alert when Penguin nodded. Drug? Why would they need a drug? Was it for him? And the carriage? Were they going to get him out of town now? Right now? Shit, the brown though, he had thought he would have a chance to escape, a chance to warn the redhead that would surely be still shopping. He had to escape, he had to...

"Give it to him" Smoker ordered with that emotionless voice they all had, making his suppositions horribly real.

Penguin instantly took a little jar and the gag and approached the tied boy on the floor. Law tried to pull away, tried to scream and fight back, but as chained and immobilized as he was, he didn't get very far before Penguin pinned him to the ground with a strong grip on his neck.

Without a hint of mercy.

Law looked at his partner. His best friend, the person who had supported him throughout his life. He tried to find something to hold on, something to prove that his companion was still there, compassion, regret or pity, but he only found cold, dead and resigned eyes. As if the other had already given him up, as if their friendship had all gone to shit when Law had betrayed him.

And then Law felt the regret.

He couldn't expect anything from a friend when he had betrayed him first. So he did nothing when his best friend forced him to open his mouth with icy fingers digging into his skin and poured the potion into his mouth. His mind didn't work when he realized that maybe, he had lost his friend forever.

However Law did try spitting, coughing and tried not to swallow, because if he did, he would leave Kidd, and that would send everything he had done would be for nothing.

Penguin ignored his attempts, and just covered his airflow forcing him to swallow hard if he wanted to breathe. Law tried to resist, he tried to bite and escape as ever under the grip of the other, but at the end the survival instinct was stronger and he had to swallow the damn potion to breathe again.

He panicked. He couldn't give up Kidd, he couldn't leave this place, he couldn't return to the Vatican now that he has know what freedom was, he couldn't return to the nightmare.

He tried to speak telepathically with Kidd then, he tried to scream all he could because to communicate such a long distance, he needed too much power. But something stopped him, the potion was taking effect and, at the same time it plunged him into unconsciousness and annulled his senses, it was blocking his magic and acted as a barrier.

The silence was all that answered to the tanned boy after his desperate plea.

"Put the gag in too, we can't allow him to scream, someone might see us and start asking questions"

This time Law said and did nothing. He only resigned himself to his fate. There was nothing to do, there was nothing to say. He was alone in this, he would return to the Vatican, they would kill him, he would lose Kidd, and there was nothing he could do.

So, feeling the cold fingers against his mouth placing a piece of cloth, Law allowed his mind to sink into the cold, empty darkness, accepting it as an old friend. His mind however said goodbye to Kidd one last time thinking that, at least, the redhead would be safe and well.

.

.

.

The roar shook the land of the valley under the gray clouds, as it hadn't shook it for a long month. Furious, angry, like an animal who has completely lost all reason. For a few seconds all the dark valley, from the black mountains to the small town, watched in silence as the red dragon rose again in the dead silence.

And then the chaos unleashed as had not happened for months.

The wind blowed hard again and the rain began to fall on the valley like an answering the mythological creature. The animals in the woods and fields began to scream and run away frightened as the dragon reopened wings with a deadly elegance and circled over the city where dark columns of black smoke began to rise.

But nothing could save them from the wrath of the dragon. In the village, people ran away from their homes, afraid that the wood buildings would fall over them thanks to the flames of the dragon. The children cried in the hustle of the town, the farmers tried to free the animals and save their only livelihood, and the soldiers were trying to stop the flames and help the people. The lone market that always rose on Mondays on the square of the place, now burned between melted stones, and even the ancient tree that had always resisted the attacks of the beast now burned with red leaves.

Despite all that had happened, despite how the situation had improved in the recent months, and despite how the people had seemed to recover from the last attack and finally begun to prosper, everything now went to hell in a few seconds. People had hoped that the dragon had left after so long and after the exorcist hurt it, but now they realized how wrong they had been. The dragon was attacking every house in the village with a fury and rage that had never been seen, and they could only lament for not being able to prepare for this, or for not having escaped when there was still time.

Kidd knew he was overdoing it, he knew that what he was doing was useless, that no matter how much he reduced the town to ashes, he wouldn't find Law. But he didn't care. The instinct and rage blinded him and he could do nothing but scream and spit fire at the pathetics human.

Law had disappeared.

Kidd had been looking for him for hours. After suppressing the initial panic and after calming the people of the square after his first roar, he had looked for the brown all over the town. He had tracked every street, had studied every house with magic, had planted tracking spells, had shouted telepathically and had asked each citizen.

And throughout the process he had managed to stay calm, he had managed to hold off panic thanks to the task of running and asking people, he had managed to distract himself from the sudden terror that filled him and hunch that something was terribly wrong. But in the end he had found nothing. As much as he had searched every house, as much as he had asked and expanded his powers until he almost cover the whole damn country, there had been no response.

Nothing.

Stopping again in front of the huge tree with the blood stain at his feet, and the bags of food a few steps away, while people laughed around him buying things and gossiping about the absurd joke of the moment, Kidd realized that Law was no longer in the village. He had been taken away...

Something inside him broke, and before he noticed it, he was transforming again into the huge dragon and throwing fire balls against the hysterical people the flooded the market, in a panic attack. He didn't care who had taken Law away from him, he didn't care about their motive or how have they done it. The fact was that Law had been taken and clearly it had been by force.

When the first flame silenced the screams and the lives of the people that had been in the wrong place in the wrong moment, Kidd felt an old satisfaction. They deserved this, the blame was always on the humans. Kidd had a suspicion on who had taken Law away, and it coincided perfectly with the fact that he couldn't feel his partner, or that he couldn't speak telepathically with him through the link.

Kidd was sure it had been the Church, along with the elusive mayor who had repeatedly betrayed the people for his own interests.

But right now his mind couldn't pay attention to that fact, right now his mind wasn't thinking rationally, or beginning to plan how to rescue the mate he knew was alive but not under what conditions. Now he only responded to the blinding rage and the pain and sorrow of humans.

The human part of his mind disappeared under the mountain of grief after losing his other half. Because Law had disappeared before his eyes, because he hadn't listened to Law's warnings. His reasoning disappeared under an enormous guilt and fear, of what his actions could have done to his mate.

And instead the animal part of his mind took the control.

That part of his soul that Kidd kept locked up because even he was afraid of it. The part that had caused thousands of disasters in his childhood after the attacks on his family, the part he'd had to create to survive, resurfaced. The instinct of revenge and the bloodlust took possession of his mind as he stood silently in the air as a prelude of a disaster. When he opened his wings to stood in the air, and roared strongly to the world at his feet with his eyes glistening as gems of hell, he ceased to be Kidd.

While a wagon pulled away from the village and towards the Vatican, he became the monster. He became the dragon, and, as his father had told him so many centuries ago: After a dragon passes, only ashes are left.


	17. Search

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here I am again, I'm hella tired, have a lot to do son I'm not gonna speak much, thanks as always for the amazing support, thanks a lot to my lovely beta piopiomeme and I hope ypu like the story. Also, I wanna thanks Ofeara who did an amazing fanart of the story for my birthday, and that I loved so fuking much you have no idea, so go to her blog on tumblr (www.ofeare.tumblr.com) and dye in happiness with her amazing kidlaw art.

Three days later.

The world stopped making sense to Law on the long journey. The nights mingled with the days, and time seemed to proceed in an altered pace around him, as if suddenly running quickly and then slowly fading into nothingness. Law knew that the dizziness and confusion was due to the drug that the other exorcist gave him every day, and the one he kept fighting against every moment he could, with the little strength he still had. But every time he thought he had regained control and could call Kidd telepathically, his captors gave him another dose of the powerful drug and all thought escaped through his fingers and disappeared into the dark corners of his mind.

Smoker and Penguin were simply too well trained to allow him even a moment of strength. They knew the drug, knew the dose, and its effects. It didn't even cross Law's mind that one of them could do something wrong, that they could commit a slight mistake so Law could escape at it expense. It was simply impossible. If he wanted to escape he would have to do it on his own, not waiting for a shift of luck.

However Law couldn't do anything in his current state, and thus frustrated, he spent the days between consciousness and unconsciousness trying to stay awake. After a day he no longer knew where he was. At the next sunset he didn't know how much time had passed since he had been kidnapped, or since the last rush of the drug. He just knew they were driving fast, very fast, and listening to the rattle of the carriage and the pain in his head, they weren't traveling on main roads, but on hidden byways. The mission seemed urgent after all, the others hadn't even tried to fight the dragon, they had just get him and were returning him to the Vatican, quickly without arousing suspicion, as if Law was a nuisance they wanted to get rid of quickly.

They didn't even stop at any inn to sleep, or at least they hadn't done it when Law has been awake. The exorcist knew they should have stopped in some town to change the horses, as no animal could stand this punishing pace for many days, but his captors hadn't slept, they hadn't stopped to eat or to pick up supplies for the trip. Law drank from a bottle full of the drug that Penguin forced him to drink every few hours, and even the food they provided him, so he didn't starve before arriving at the Vatican, tasted rancid and full of dust, unlike the fresh and hot food they could get in any town.

They were exorcists with a mission; they didn't stop, didn't get distracted, there was only the mission. Law knew deep down that he couldn't do anything against them. He had been captured and, no matter how much he wanted to escape or talk some sense into them, his body was too groggy and tired to do anything but try to stay awake.

Another day passed again. Another night went by. His bones ached with the rattle of the carriage; his head was spinning between the effects of the drug and longing for Kidd. He missed the redhead. He missed him so much that a part of his soul seemed to have been torn apart when they had been separated and cut the connection they had. He started having nightmares. About dark moments of his childhood he thought he had forgotten, and strange visions of a future full of blood. Several times he woke up screaming as Smoker slapped him awake, stopping him from making a scene.

The landscape the carriage passed by began to change slowly. The high pines and dark snowy mountains were soon replaced by broad fields of grass and wheat dried by the sun, with some sad lone oaks in the distance. The cool northern climate changed to the sweltering heat of the south. The sun seemed to shine more and everything seemed different and false before the bleary eyes of the exorcist.

Law forced himself to withdraw into the depths of his soul. The Vatican awaited him, the reeducation, his death awaited him. It was time to forget Kidd, to lock the happiest days of his life inside a treasure chest and face the reality he had always dreaded facing.

It was time to say goodbye to this world.

.

.

.

Kidd snapped awake again. He was covered in cold sweat and felt his heart beating too fast in his chest. The nightmare had been too real this time. He still heard Law's cries, the beg for help, for Kidd to take him away from the nightmare before it was too late. Kidd had run, he had sought him, but the darkness around him was too intense to find anything. Law had suddenly fallen silent and then it had been Kidd's turn to scream.

The redhead sighed, forcing himself to relax. It had only been a dream. It didn't have to mean anything. His heart continued to beat in his chest, scared. Tired, he ran a hand through his red strands and watched the huge bloodstain on the table in front of him on which he had been sleeping. The blood had dried into a black crust that the dragon also felt glued to his face, the candles around him were about to die and the various potions, books and bowls of foreign substances had fallen with his sleeping movements creating a mess around him.

Kidd didn't care. Again he had fallen unconscious after losing too much blood. Again the spell hadn't worked. Again he had lost some precious time and again Law was ever further away.

Kidd growled low, but his throat was so dry and broken after days without eating or drinking, just shouting and roaring, that the sound sounded like a plaintive cry.

Kidd didn't know what else to do. After having reduced the village to ashes in his rage after looking for Law, he had returned to his cave and had fallen unconscious in the entry, so filled with pain that he hadn't been able to do any more than to pass out. When he woke up the next afternoon the dragon had ran to his study and had quickly started to look for Law.

He had used spells his mother had taught him when he was just a playful dragon. Those spells had always worked, never failed, they were transmitted from generation to generation and were even older than the human race itself. He had recited the long spells feeling his energy drain with each of them, he had been singing them for hours one after another, tiring himself to exhaustion without daring to do anything but look for Law.

They had been useless.

Kidd had then swept his treasure, he had searched all the books he had in his lair about magic and had used all possible spells trying to find his little human. When that hadn't worked either, he had even resorted to dark magic, that one he hated the most because it left a bitter and unpleasant sensation, and because he had to almost bleed himself dry to summon demons or create a spells.

But nothing had worked and he didn't know what else to do. He had already run out of ideas.

Kidd knew he could go flying and look in the roads for the idiots who had kidnaped his partner. But there was always the possibility of error. Many roads go to Rome and he couldn't waste time traveling down each one of them. The world was too big. Law would arrive at the Vatican before Kidd could come up with the right way, and also, he knew the exorcists would surely avoid the main routes, which further opened the field to search.

If Kidd would still feel the bond, if he could still feel his partner in his mind, things would be very different, but each time he tried to focus on his other half, on the other side of their link, he just received a darkness that gave him the creeps and that made him fear the worst.

Like in his dream.

Kidd has had enough. It had been days without eating, days without sleeping and he was exhausted both, physically and mentally. But he couldn't stop, every fiber of his body refused to stop the search. He had to find Law before he reached the Vatican.

The dragon rose from his chair and stumbled into the small, dark room. No matter how quickly he could recover from his wounds, he had lost too much blood and his body was too weak after days without taking care of himself. Kidd leaned against the wall for balance and his stomach rumbled painfully. How long had he spent without eating? Since the morning they went to the market? How long had it been since then? Four days? Five?

His instinct screamed at him to care for his health, he had to be strong and healthy to find his half and exterminate those who had taken Law away from his side. He needed his magic and strength to fight the enemies who could be as strong as Law. Kidd knew this time that it doesn't mattered how much he wanted to keep looking for Law, he was too weak to ignore his own needs and in addition, he had run out of ideas.

Slowly walking down the corridors toward the exit of the cave, Kidd transformed into a dragon ready to go hunting for something. He had food in his lair, but he didn't want to cook, the idea of approaching the kitchen and remember the moments he had spent there with Law, caused the anguish to come up again.

He needed to hunt, he needed to destroy something and stain his hands with blood. So, he became the red dragon, he jumped into the void and barely flew between strong air drafts.

.

.

.

Law blinked at the dense black sky over his head. They were approaching Rome. The stars **shone with a familiar brilliance, and Law remembered the constellations as if he had flown** between them with the huge red dragon purring under him.

Kidd.

Surely he'd been looking for him, but surely the dragon couldn't find him due to the huge amount of protection spells covering them. Law knew that Kidd would eventually find a way to track him, but Law hoped that when that time comes, it would be too late and he would be dead. That way Kidd wouldn't go to his rescue, Kidd wouldn't face the Vatican and he would live happy his own life. Although that would be very unlikely. The redhead would certainly want revenge when he heard about Law's death; he would surely destroy the Vatican and himself, trying to chase him to the other world.

Law smiled remembering how possessive Kidd could be. His dragon, the most wonderful person he had ever met, the man who would die for his own stupidity. Law had killed them both.

The tanned boy wanted to scream. Law knew he shouldn't have accepted the other, he knew he should have tried to separate himself from the dragon when he had had the chance; he shouldn't had let the dragon deepen the relationship. But as always, Law had been too selfish to say no to him. He had thought that by breaking the rules once in his life and do what he really wanted to do, nothing would happen.

Now they would both die.

The tanned's mind clouded again and Law knew he had little time until he would fall into unconsciousness again. They had just given him another dose and now his mind was starting to mingle with the reality and a beautiful darkness as the drugs started to take effect.

"What do you think will happen to the dragon?" Law listened one of the others say through the dense thoughts on his mind. He didn't know if it was Smoker, Penguin or just his imagination speaking.

"I don't know, I think Akainu wanted to send Zoro or Ace to deal with it" another voice replied.

"Don't you think this is a waste of time? We could have dealt with the dragon. Akainu is spending resources and worrying too much about a simple exorcist"

"Yes, but Akainu's priority is Law. It had been months without notices from him and you know how important he is for Akainu"

Yes, he knew it very well, Law shivered just thinking about how important he was for that bastard.

"It's his pawn in his war against Doflamingo, but that doesn't exculpate him from the fact that he could have waited a little longer, and have spared Ace and Zoro another poor trip to that smelly corner of the globe" the second voice continued to complain "Besides, if Law is broken, he is not going to be of much utility"

"The orders are orders, there is no question to the higher ranges" the first one recited then the code standards. The little reminder exorcists use to say 'shut up and don't ask questions if you don't want to die'.

Law closed his eyes feeling his heavy body and mind shutting down. He was going into unconsciousness and he curiously thanked it for the first time. He didn't want to think about the Vatican and what awaited him there, his mind was still trying to deal with the fact of leaving Kidd as to also focus on other dark and twisted things.

.

.

.

Kidd flew over the valley, he had found a small flock of sheep that had escaped the other day when he had burned the village, and now he was flying with a full stomach and renewed strength.

And still looking for Law. Just after he had destroyed the village the day Law was gone, the dragon had flown over the huge valley and the others surrounding this one, hoping to find a clue of the dark haired boy's position. Unfortunately and as he had suspected, Kidd hadn't found the slightest trace, and at the end, he had to resign and return to the den to use other methods.

However, now that not even that had worked, Kidd didn't know what else to do. He didn't know where his mate was and had no way to find him. He could fly towards the Vatican, he could devastate the fucking Vatican itself, but not even that meant he could find Law then. Law might be there, but he might not, he might have more enemies than the Vatican. He could go south, but Law could be in the north. He could travel the world from end to end, but it might be too late when he arrived.

An icy grip wrapped his heart at the thought. What if he found him wounded after being tortured? What if they had used him in the most degrading way? ... And if he had been killed?

Fear and panic returned to flood him and the dragon let out a whimper in midair descending several meters on the air. No, he couldn't break down right there; he couldn't think of the worst case scenario, he needed to find Law.

And that's when he saw them between the pine forest and came up with the idea.

Amid the high pine forest, in a small clearing, the survivors of the village, those who had managed to escape in time or those who weren't in the village at the time of the attack, had set up a small camp. They shouldn't be more than fifty people; most of them badly injured and carrying a handful of things that they had managed to save from the fire. The idiot priest was there and the mayor too. The damned man had surely have seen it coming, he had surely known what was ahead and he had left the town when he still could, leaving the others citizens behind to die.

Kidd broke out in anger only to see him sitting on a small stump in the clearing, like a king talking to his servants, as he ordered people around and smoked one of those stinking cigars. The man was perfectly well, while Law would surely suffer. It was his entire fault. But Kidd held his rage and forced himself to calm down while smiling victorious.

He had found a way to recover Law.

Maybe the spells he had used to find Law hadn't worked, since the spells that protected Law were specifically designed to defend himself from creatures like him. They were spells designed to repel magical creatures like him, and hide and camouflage the exorcist from Kidd's race. But what would happen if the one casting them wasn't a magical creature? Would they also work and protect them?

There was only one way to find out, and internally, Kidd smiled sadistically as he rushed to the clearing to kidnap the mayor.

He would use any method he knew to find Law, everything he could think about, no matter if people had to die for it. Who was better than the mayor to try all of them, since he was the one to blame for all this? Kidd would interrogate him; he would make him use the spells he had used himself even if that meant the mayor's death.

He knew that black magic didn't work the same with humans than with him. He was too powerful, no demon would dare to do anything or ask anything from him too big in return for their services, the fear of him and the consequences of angering him had always frightened them. Humans however, were different. They fell in the wiles and tricks of the demons, they were easily tempted, they could lose their soul, their lives or even more in exchange for the things they desired.

Still, as Kidd descended like a red huge thunder into the camp and closed his claws around the heavy body of the mayor, amid cries of terror around him, he didn't care in the least if the man died.

Kidd rose in the air with his prey in his claws, the human screaming and shouting without half of the pride and dignity that Law had had when they first had flown together. Crocodile probably thought he would surely die. And surely he would. They had taken Law away, a part of his soul, a part of his life, so he was going to do exactly the same. Kidd didn't see a crime in what he was just about to do. He only saw justice.

.

.

.

Law opened his eyes when, again, the car hit a **cobble on the ground and his head bumped against a wood plank from the carriage. For a moment he blinked dazed** , looking around for Kidd and frowning at his surroundings, then he remembered what had happened and he slumped against the edge of the wagon feeling the emptiness spread in his chest.

Again he didn't know where he was, again he didn't know how much time had passed since the last time he had been awake, but the headache was subsiding and the drug must be losing its effect.

Law observed his environment in that little moment of clarity; Smoker and Penguin were in the front part of the wagon driving the horses meekly, without saying anything. However, despite their silence, Law could perfectly hear endless voices surrounding them and talking happily. They should be in a city then, his mind provided still too confused to even understand the language the people spoke, but maybe, if he peered from the carriage, he could recognize the place, could locate where he was, and could know how was far he was away from Kidd.

Moving slowly with stiff joints after days without using them and trying not to alert his captors, Law sat up and leaned back against the side of the carriage. His head throbbed with the change of position, the world seemed distorted for a moment, but Law stood his ground and took a deep breath to calm down.

And then he raised his head to the city around him.

The blood froze in his veins.

He would recognize the place even in his darkest nightmares. Tall and imposing houses a mixture of old and new, neoclassical and Gothic, stone and marble, showing off an opulence and elegance that was only typical from one city in the world.

He was in Rome.

It was dusk. The sun hid behind tall buildings, flooding everything with a golden, dusty light that gave the white marble statues in the fountains a magical appearance. The stifling heat of the day was also disappearing to make room for a cool evening, perfect to walk beside the Tiber, the long river running through the city from end to end that provided the water for the civilians and also helped control the temperature in that sweltering south.

The surface of the streets where the wagon rolled by, was paved with smooth stones and people walked by them without giving the exorcists even a side glance. They all wore fancy and expensive clothes, dressing in flight, broad hats and coats of various colors, probably in the latest fashion of the city. Italy may be divided into several kingdoms that always fought for supremacy, people may be poor and starve, but Rome had always been its capital, the center of politics, the center of art and knowledge, and had always had an image to uphold.

Law had reached his destination without even realizing it. They had reached the end of their journey. Law just had to turn around to glimpse at the high dome of St. Paul behind him, a white and bright sign indicating where his life would end.

It was too late, and there was no escape, Kidd and Law couldn't do anything against the inevitable. Law was a few blocks from the Vatican and probably would never get out. At least not alive.

.

.

.

The huge room was quiet when at last, the poor messenger arrived breathlessly. The little man was panting after running through the wide aisles of the vast palace, but still, the fear that filled him was too big to back down and try to catch any breath.

He was in the core of the Vatican, in the rooms designed to the high officials. After rooms full of gold and opulence, works of art that defied logic, he had come to the rooms of the commander of the exorcist order; those that nobody dared to enter, the rooms that exceeded anyone's imagination.

Everything was covered in marble, floors, walls, and the high ceilings, all in brightly colored geometric patterns. The pink marble from Egypt, circling around the Chinese green one, the black one let space for the white and everything was radiating the wealth and opulence in the center of the Catholic religion. The roof was covered with paintings that seemed about to come alive, and that had been painted by some famous artists that had reflected breathtaking scenes from the Bible and the Italian Tuscany. The windows were covered with bright red silk and even the table where the commander sat had been carved by the best cabinet makers of Florence. There were books from half the world on lacquered shelves, vases and decorations that would cause the envy of the Emperor of France, and even the carpets covering the floor appeared to have been brushed that very morning.

The messenger instead tried not to notice the sparking environment. He was in front of the commander, the man who could end his life with a simple wave of his hand, the one, people whispered some dark rumors and black legends about, which could freeze the blood of the bravest man. He couldn't stay entranced. He had a message to deliver.

Kneeling on the carpet-covered ground, he took a breath to prevent his lungs from collapsing and talked. "Your excellency, they have arrived" he told the two men present in the room "They have brought Trafalgar Law" he breathlessly whispered without looking up from the decorated carpet as to look these men in the eye would be an immediate be a death sentence.

The two men in the room tensed when they heard his message, and the messenger feared that they will order his death for bringing such a message. But none of them said anything. The messenger then gave his mission for accomplished and, fearing to spend more time under the gaze of those powerful men that were now pissed thanks to the news, he quickly left the room giving thanks to god for still being alive.

Meanwhile, the commander, Akainu, put the feather with which he had been writing on a paper, crossed his fingers in front of his face and sighed a long tired breath. Behind him Doflamingo was tense, but still he said nothing and kept looking out the window at the Tiber and the people across the street. His gaze so intense and dark as the black military uniform of the order he was wearing.

They both knew what the news meant.

Law had returned. Alive. Which meant he had betrayed them and therefore he must die, or, as suggested by Akainu, they had to reeducate him.

The issue had been a delicate one since he had proposed it a few weeks ago, and it had been discussed throughout the whole organization. Doflamingo and Akainu themselves hadn't been different. Both had discussed the issue several times during those weeks, the blond always defending Law and begging him to simply kill him, and Akainu convinced that Law would stand the process thanks to his heritage, and would survive to meet them again. Doflamingo insisted that he was going to kill the boy in the worst imaginable way that Law didn't deserve to suffer like this, Akainu repeated he had a chance to get out alive and to be an example for the rest of the exorcists.

The old man was tired to defend every day an idea that shouldn't have even been questioned. The blonde was strong and intelligent, even more than him in some aspects, yet was still too soft on issues like this, and that's why he would never defeat him.

Still Doflamingo had some guts to do what he had done.

Akainu got up from his desk and the chair scraped against the marble floor, creating an unpleasant sound. The handsome blonde behind him clenched his fists on his folded arms and frowned without moving.

It was clear that he would continue to fight for Law.

However the commander ignored him and walked towards the exit with his long white tunic and the long ribbons of gold and silk waving around him. Unlike Doflamingo who weared the black military uniform from the order, he preferred the white robe that the pope used himself. It was a subtle way of reminding his subordinates and enemies, of the difference in power and status between them. As if Akainu was one of the messengers of God, an angel sent to earth to deliver justice, he commanded respect, imposed fear and dread, and if they feared him, it was more unlikely that someone will rise against him.

Or so he thought.

"Akainu" Whispered the blond man against the window, with that arrogant and defiant voice that had always unnerved him.

There were few people who didn't submit to him, and there were few people who didn't fear him. The blonde was one of those few. It was one of the things that had always angered him, but he couldn't solve the problem. He couldn't do anything to destroy the man, at least for the moment, Doflamingo was too smart, he had built its own network of followers, a big one, it was impossible to try to kill him without consequences. If the blond rebelled against Akainu, the commander feared losing too much valuable people in the small brawl of the organization.

Still, the fact that he couldn't destroy him didn't mean that he couldn't put him in his rightful place: on his knees before him. Akainu stood amid the luxurious room and looked at his subordinate with a look that reminded the blonde who was the one in control here and what happened to those who spoke against him.

"Lieutenant" he said without calling him by his name, lowering his position even more in the small discussion "we've talked about this" he reminded him coldly.

Daring him to rise against him, to reveal, to tell him something, so Akainu then had a reason to punish him for his behavior. He was the commander here, his wishes were orders for the others, he was in control, he was divine justice and any insubordination would be punished. The minutes passed without anyone doing anything, just looking one to another with hatred accumulated through the years. They both detested the other and they both knew it, but now wasn't the time for fighting, still not all the paws were on the table.

So, at the end, the blond looked away and lowered his head, submitting to him.

Doflamingo had never disobeyed him; he had never stood up against him when Akainu put him between a blade and the wall, not even when Akainu practically forced him to rebel against him. No, the blond always submitted and remained in his place, never felt into provocations, he only faked submission and kept waiting to strike at the right time.

They both knew that Doflamingo couldn't face him, he still lacked the power to do so, he lacked strength, and Akainu could kill him and everything he loved quickly and without much effort, damned the consequences. The old man knew he still had him controlled as long as he still held Law's future in the palm of his hand, and he could still control Doflamingo smoothly.

Smiling victoriously and arrogant, the old man turned and resumed his walk toward the exit, confident and sure of his victory in this subject. The blonde behind him shifted uneasily. Akainu knew he would never surrender to his decision and would still try to save Law, the only person he had in his life, after all these years of service to the organization.

But this time the blonde was too late. Law had betrayed them and Akainu never forgave traitors and those who stood against him. Even more with Law. The boy had rebelled against him, his creator, and it made his veins boil with rage. With this gesture Law was no longer his weapon, his pawn to control Doflamingo, now was nothing, he meant nothing.

Now he would be his experiment.

When the door of his studio closed in the depths of the Vatican, Akainu could heard again the words of the blonde trying again to change the commander's mind, trying again to save the boy from a certain death.

"But it's your grandson" Doflamingo remembered the man before the door closed.

Standing in the hallway, Akainu wanted to laugh for a moment for that pathetic try. His grandson? Yes, he was, but that word meant nothing to him, it had ceased to mean something long ago. A family was just useless blood ties, absurd relationships that caused more problems than solved them.

Law was his grandson, yeah, but still he had betrayed him. First his son, Law's father, who had escaped the order trying to find another life: marrying, looking for a job, having a kid and running away from him. Now his grandson had done the same, Law, the boy he had trained to be his successor, his heir, the boy he had trained and educated with the same ideals he pursued. But if the bastard of that slut woman wanted to betray him like his father had done, Law would have to understand what that entailed.

Without remorse or the slightest doubt, the commander with black hair and dark skin went to the Cathedral of St. Paul to see his beloved family.

A sinister smile spread over his face.


	18. Monster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here I am again, and I have hear your cries and pain, but I don't care, I will torture them and do what I want cos that's what autors do, live from your siffering, so stop complaining and let me destroy your hopes.
> 
> As always a special thanks to my beta and crush piopiomeme.

The dragon unceremoniously threw the old man with black hair against the table littered with runes, magic books and dry plants, where Kidd had spent days trying to find Law. The rage and despair inside him continued to prevent him from thinking clearly, so totally out of it, Kidd roared with all his strength at the stupid mayor until the floor of the cave shook beneath his feet and dark stones fell from the ceiling.

The man instantly fell to the ground with a frightened shriek and quickly turned to face him trembling with fear. Kidd had to admit that at least the man had survival instinct, to give his back to a dragon was never a good idea, especially if all the dragon had in mind was to destroy him and make him cry in revenge. Still, despite his fear and horror, the man was still against him, looking at his face with superiority and disgust, as if Kidd was an animal he could easily finish with, as if he could escape the punishment that Kidd had prepared.

Kidd clenched his fists and glared at him as he felt the air around him began to burn with his magic and was about to spin out of control. Law had also been like that the first time they had met, he had also challenged him and looked as if Kidd was worth nothing - Kidd growled just by thinking about it - but there had also been some respect and curiosity in his metallic eyes, some pity as they fought, as if he didn't really wanted to kill him.

Law at least hadn't looked at him like Kidd was some kind of _monster_ as the mayor was doing right now.

Kidd approached the old man lying on the ground who kept looking around for an escape and while holding his rib cage as if he had it broken when he had hit the table. Kidd didn't care. After all, he was going to leave him with more than a broken rib, he would make him pay for everything Law was suffering at his expense.

His footsteps echoed on the ground still covered with his own blood, and the strange liquids that were used in the spells and potions, potions that he had finished crashing against the wall in frustration to see that none of them worked. Some potions should never been mixed together, odors and colors filled the place like a strange and repulsive spectacle. Snatches of black magic could still be felt in some corners, with that sticky consistency that keep slowly unnerving the dragon more and more.

Kidd took a deep breath in the dense atmosphere trying to lock his animal part back. He needed to focus for what he intended to do, he didn't need another useless burst of rage. Unfortunately the small act didn't relax him a lot, the mere fact of being in the presence of the mayor went against every instinct, and every fiber of his being screamed for him to destroy the man who was looking at him with such disgust.

Kidd knew that the disgusted look the mayor wore was partly due to the shabby appearance of a vagabond he had, his eyes were bloodshot and bleary after sleepless nights, he had messed hair for running his hands through it in full despair, and he was still covered with blood and ashes of the fire and his experiments. Kidd hadn't even worried about dressing and just kept wearing the black torn pants from the last time. With his own appearance and the one of the room, Kidd would surely seem as a crazed man who had completely lost his head in front of the major's eyes.

_But he did not fucking care_.

Kidd wanted to scare the man, not please him, he wanted him to scream and squirm in the blackest nightmares until he ceased to see the slightest light. So, without doubt, he stood tall in front of the old man on the floor, and took him by the neck lifting him in the air without the slightest problem.

"This is all your fault" he told the man through clenched teeth and the rage making his blood boil " so now you are going to pay for everything you've done to us and you'll solve it"

And with that, he returned to throw the man against the table and turned his back to the man ignoring him and looking for an obsidian knife Killer had given him years ago for use in the ancient rituals.

At first the redhead had thought to be good and, at least, use some normal magic before using the black magic with the human, he had wanted to give him a chance to escape the punishment and not be bound to the deals and sacrifices dark magic required. Kidd didn't want to become a monster like everyone wanted him to be, especially after Law, the dragon just wanted to be someone decent and honourable so his exorcist could feel proud of him. But just spending some time with the damn man with the scar on his face, and all logical reasoning disappeared from his mind.

When he again faced the man Kidd realized he wanted to hurt him. And he wanted to hurt him a lot.

Without the slightest patience and unable to wait longer to find Law, he called his magic, and immediately, a dark big dagger flew into his hand. Killer's dagger. The handle represented a silver skeleton with his arms crossed over his chest and with rubies for eyes, the blade was a pitch black hole that didn't even reflected the light. Killer had enchanted it centuries ago to protect him from the dark magic.

Kidd then, with his loved possession, returned to the table where the man was writhing in pain again, clutching his neck where Kidd had lifted him in the air and where a burn mark began to appear. Kidd was still giving off too much heat and his magic surrounding him was as furious as his owner. Then standing on the opposite side of the table where the mayor grunted and panted trying to breathe as he spoke insult after insult, Kidd took a red chalk and started drawing a pentagram on the table with runes in ancient languages.

"I don't know what you're talking about" the mayor said looking at him with the hatred and disgust from before but now with a slight air of caution and fear.

Kidd returned to roar in his face. He didn't want to talk to him. He didn't want to reason, or the other could convince him that it hasn't been his fault. He didn't give a damn of what the other thought or said. He just wanted to find Law.

Without deigning to reply to him, Kidd continued to draw the spell on the table.

When the spell was finished, he placed five candles on each end of the pentagram and grabbed the dark haired man's arm in front of him. The man let out a terrified shriek when his skin started burning again and blisters appear on his pale skin, but Kidd growled again glaring at him and dragged him until the other's arm was placed on the spell. Law hadn't even complained when they had fought the first time and Kidd had burned his fingers.

Then Kidd dribbled the metal knife and sank it on the table beside the mayor's arm with a thud, leaving the utensil standing on the battered wood and still in his hands. The jump and face of pure terror from the man were perfect, as the mayor didn't take his eyes off the sharp knife of macabre aspect. The redhead just smirked. The fun had just begun.

"Cut off your hand" Kidd then ordered savoring every sweet word.

He needed blood for the spell and to find Law, and in the name of his holy mother he would get it. It wasn't his fault that he was going to collect it in the most horrible and sadistic manner possible in revenge. It was the mayor's fault, and now he would pay with his own flesh.

For centuries he had been called monster, and while Kidd had been convincing himself that he was not, and that he was now someone decent that deserved Law's trust, the truth was that the whole situation had awakened a part of himself he had thought forgotten. That part, now called for blood, needed to hear the cries of the pitiful human and hear his pleas for mercy.

Kidd saw no reason to hold back.

Law wasn't there to see what Kidd was turning into and he didn't has to know, the world and other races expected him to do just that horrible thing, had hunted him for being like this, his instinct and his whole being asked to see pain and suffering after the lost of his mate.

He didn't have to hold back.

So when the man began to tremble and stammer excuses and supplications, Kidd returned to roar pissed off and sick of the babbling and desperate entreaties. Law had endured. Law had been strong. And someone might be hurting him now.

The black-haired man in front of him didn't deserve absolutely anything.

"Would you prefer if I do it then? But it wouldn't be only the hand" He asked almost shouting and with a grim and excited smile on his face.

If the mayor was a coward Kid wouldn't hesitate to take his place more than happy. Kidd wanted to torture him both, physically and psychologically. A cutted hand would hurt, but it would hurt him more if he cutted it himself. Still, if man didn't stand the torture, Kidd wouldn't give him many chances.

When the man closed his hand on the hilt of the knife still stuck on the table and held it to his wrist, with a trembling hand and his eyes closing in horror, Kidd just trembled with satisfaction and closed his eyes reveling in the cry of pain that quickly flooded the cave.

.

.

.

Hours later, Kidd cleaned the blood covering his hands in his black pants, and left the room covered in that disturbing smell of blood and desperation. The redhead didn't even look back to the bloody image that was left from the mayor.

The mayor was now passed out on the floor and was still suffering unconscious spasms of pain. His hand was still on the black ground, lifeless, and his stump was cauterized with the help of red hot flames from Kidd. The man still had several wounds that bled deep black blood, and several burns from the candles and the dragon fire. Kidd knew that the man would still need quite some time to recover after the last possession, this time the demon had practically tried to tear his skin off when he had found itself trapped in a human body, and had finally left the man between convulsions and cries of pain making the mayor faint without tolerating the torture any longer.

The dragon could wake him with magic and start the show again, but Kidd just closed the door behind him, locking the mayor inside, and left the room.

He had what he wanted.

Without hesitation, he started walking to his room on the other side of the cave. His room, like the rest of the cave, was a mess. The bed was undone from the last time he had slept in it with Law, and the smell of the brown haired boy was still permeating from the soft sheets, making the monster inside him whine lost and needy, wanting to plunge himself on the mattress and rub his face on the pillow to feel the slightest trace of his mate's scent. Kidd barely resisted the urge and just sat in the leather chair dodging the objects that were lying on the ground.

Once in the center of his domain and with the aroma of Law surrounding him and reassuring him in a pleasant and loving way, he didn't even hesitate. Opening his mind all he could, he traveled the world far and wide until he found the mind of his best friend and almost his brother.

Killer had always been at his side since he was a puppy, and had lived with his family happy in the dense and deep forests of old Europe. Both had always been together, like twins, they had always known what the other planned, or made each other laugh when one of them was too sad. Kid's parents and siblings had always laughed at them for their inseparable friendship, the murderer dragon and his friend, a scared half blood creature they had adopted when they had found him wandering alone by the boundaries of their ancient forest.

Killer had had a difficult life since he was born. His father, one of the most powerful demons of hell, had seen his mother, a beautiful jaguar with green eyes and blond hair, in one of the massacres in the old cities of old Hispania. Instantly the demon had fallen for the beauty of the innocent shifter and had captured, raped and used her for years as he had wanted. Killer's defenseless mother, helpless against the powerful creature, had finally escaped the torture, but after years of suffering she had abandoned the child from the union and had ended up committing suicide unable to put up with the memory of what he had done to her.

Since then, Killer had always lived alone and had taken care of himself in a world where no one had accepted him.

When finally, Kid's family, after finding the lost little creature near his den, had welcomed him as one more in their family, the blond had needed years to trust them and stop growling as if they were enemies. Kidd, who had then also been a pup, even younger than the small jaguar, had quickly raised the protective instinct of the creature and after a series of conflicts and emotional moments, they had become inseparable.

Or at least until Kidd had lost his family and he had just fled elsewhere trying to overcome the huge loss. Since then Kidd had stopped seeing his brother and friend so often. Both had kept in touch, and Kidd went to see his friend occasionally, but seeing Killer always made him remember the painful moments of his past that he definitely didn't want to remember. Killer never said or demanded anything, but Kidd knew his friend missed him deep down and wanted them to resume their friendship. Kidd himself often longed for his company, but was always too cowardly to take the final step and contact the shifter again.

Yet both knew that if something ever happened, or if one of them had any problems, the other would always go to their rescue. After all, they were the only family they both had.

'Killer' the dragon called telepathically through the bond they shared and had never closed.

Kidd instantly felt the mind of the other creature entirely focus on the link and emotions of joy and surprise leak in the connection. The dragon felt his heart shrink back to that feeling of overwhelming loyalty and appreciation the other professed him despite everything.

He has really missed him.

'Kidd, what happend?' the blond instantly asked with that dark, serious voice that he always had.

And Kidd could only smile sadly at the question. Really he should have spoken to his friend months ago, he had to have told him about the small exorcist and what had emerged between them. He should have informed his only family about Law, about the person he was going to share his life with. Killer could have surely helped him with various problems that had arisen, he would surely have realized what was happening even before Kidd did it himself, and he surely would have been happy for the redhead. But Kidd had been so focused on Law and on getting him, that his friendship with Killer had just passed away.

So now he felt so fucking bad for not having told him before, but there was no turning back, and he needed Killer this time.

'I have something to tell you ...' sentenced the dragon.

He told his brother everything. Since the meeting with Law, the disputes, and how at the end he realized he was his partner. Killer, as it always was among creatures like them, instantly asked about Law, and how the link was, if it was so wonderful and perfect as the legends say, if Law had changed his view of the world, if it felt as good as they had been told. Kidd answered entertained all his friends curious questions, but still he didn't forget the problem at hand.

Finally, after complaining for not having been told this before and making Kidd apologize, Killer congratulated him. However, Kidd hadn't finished his story and the conversation clearly became more tense and sharp as Kidd explained his friend about the Vatican and Law's kidnapping.

Because, although the spells he had used this time with the mayor hadn't yet worked perfectly, Kidd had guessed some things. Law was at the Vatican. And something was terribly wrong.

That was the main reason why he was now talking to his friend.

'I'm going to go to Rome for him' he finally sentenced.

'Alone?' Killer instantly asked in that tone of voice, worried and dangerous, but still, instantly understanding the problem. Understanding that Kidd could die if anything happened to his partner. 'Kidd, you don't even know exactly where he is, and if all you've told me is true, you'll be standing directly in the enemy territory'

Kidd instantly noticed the overprotective voice of the jaguar. He knew he was asking too much from the blond, Killer had lost his family twice, first when he and Kidd had gone together to hell to avenge Killer's mother, and the second one when the whole family of the redhead had perished. Kidd was the only family the blond had left, and now the redhead was telling him to let Kidd do a suicide attack without doing anything.

But Kidd couldn't wait any longer to go save Law.

'I know, but I don't care, I have to find Law before they do anything to him, and I need you to come to my cave and call the other six dragons. We need to discuss certain matters' he replied with a voice that brooked no argument.

Maybe the blond was older and had protected him when Kidd was small, but they both knew Kidd was now the stronger one of the two. He was now the king of the most powerful race in the world.

'Kidd' said the other with caution 'I know that after what happened, you don't want to lose anyone else, and I know that with the link and Law disappeared you're ... tense, but please think' the blond tried to reason with him ' you can't jump into your enemy's territory alone, I can help you ...'

'There's no time for that' the redhead interrupted starting to get frustrated with his friend 'they are hurting him. I will take him out of there' His blood was boiling from what he had seen in his spells.

'Kidd please just hear me ...' Killer kept asking starting to get nervous about the stubbornness of his friend.

Kidd roared in the deserted room. He didn't want to wait any longer. It had been almost a week since Law had disappeared. Now he just had found the damn track that would lead to him. He would go and get his mate as he should have done from the beginning. Right fucking now.

'No, I've waited too long' Kidd said with a serious voice 'I'll go for Law. You just call the others'

And with that, he closed the conversation and the link in his mind without the slightest remorse for yelling at his friend.

He would not discuss the issue. Not even with Killer. He was just going to do what he needed to do for once. Without sleeping, eating or bathing as he needed to do to remove the dried blood and the smell of magic, he went to the closet, put on clean pants, a black shirt and long black combat boots. Then he went to the closet of weapons in the hidden room and took everything he could: daggers, swords, needles, all he could hide and use, until he almost looked like a murderer from the horror stories that were told to children .

Then, unable to wait any longer, he turned and almost ran through the cave to the exit, through corridors and rooms, quickly, without looking at anything but how fast his legs could run. Once he arrived at the entrance of the impressive balcony overlooking the cliff, he jumped into the air without waiting for anything more, transforming amid falling and spreading his wings with a satisfied roar.

He would rescue Law and would take him back to the den to have him completely safe and protected, then he would meet with the council and destroy the Church that had caused so much trouble to so many people and especially, to his beloved partner. And then, when everything was over and there were no more problems, he would return to his lair and make love to his tanned exorcist until Law lost consciousness, he would present him to his brother, Killer and make him the happiest person in the world.

.

.

.

Law followed the old priest through the high and decorated halls of San Pedro, the famous cathedral and center of the Christian faith. His mind was slightly clearer after the last dose of the drug, and although he still had chained hands and was completely unarmed, Law couldn't avoid the feeling of nostalgia he felt while walking again the halls of the famous building.

The walls were decorated with huge portraits of the Virgin and various saints, from various myths of the Bible, from the creation to the apocalypse, and all painted by famous artists, dead since centuries. The floors were covered with marbles of different colors that created rosettes and emblems on the floor, with different patterns that curled around gold filigree. The tombs of various kings and queens, and statues of various illustrious figures of Christendom decorated the columns and arches, raising to the high and huge ceiling where the enormous white dome with paintings of Michelangelo and patterns representing angels enchanted the visitors. All the wealth of the Church is reflected in this single building. Everyone wanted the favor of the Vatican, the world's largest organization, and across Europe and America, kings and queens gave pieces of art and money to the organization to gain their friendship and favor. The church technically lived on donations and generosity of people, but thanks to the stunning gifts it received from countries and nobles, it was increasingly amassing more and more power and more and more influence.

Law sighed when, after walking meters and meters along stunning art and gold, he finally arrived to the bronze and gold canopy where rows of benches for the noble people covered with a red velvet material stood watching the , a group of people knelt before the true representation of the power of that small country.

The Pope of Rome, was bending over the altar while blessing the wine and the body of Christ with those phrases learned by heart. He was an old man with gray hair and a round belly, still covered with those embroidered robes of pure silk and lace. Around him a group of bishops with black and red clothes respectfully bowed to the ritual and even the old priest escorting Law, Smoker and Penguin to their master knelt on the floor drawing the cross symbol over his body as a sign of respect for what was going on.

Law wanted to roll his eyes at the gesture, clearly, the old man didn't really understand what was happening really in front of him, because the most disturbing thing about this spectacle was that the Pope himself was giving a mass, but only for a single man sitting on the banks.

And it was this man, who had gotten Pio VI, the most powerful figure in Europe, chanting and praying for him in the middle of the night as if it was the most normal thing in the world. As if the pope himself was just another of his servants.

Akainu, the commander of the entire organization of exorcists, still kneeling in the cushioned and velvety banks, prayed as a devout Christian.

The three exorcists waited and watched the ritual, while the bishops helped the Pope with the rituals, as they helped Akainu drink from the golden cup, and filled the church with the old chants reverberating on the walls. As if Akainu himself, and not the old man under layers of gold embroidered robes, was the one who command them there.

When they finished the ceremony and the priests began to leave the area in a respectful order, Akainu made a gesture to the priest escorting them, and only then, the three exorcists approached the altar following the priest. There, the man who handled all the power of the world from the shadows, waited for them as a judge about to decide Law's life.

Law stopped in front of the man with black hair and instantly Smoker behind him pushed him to the ground with a firm hand on his shoulder until Law ended up kneeling and chained among the other three men. As if he was someone who didn't even deserve to be at their height. Law said nothing, he had known the organization for years and knew the reason and purpose of each gesture that they did here, and so, as a traitor about to die, he deserved to be on the floor kneeling before the other three.

Especially against the other three.

The priest who had brought them to the place made a deep bow and quickly walked away, leaving the four men alone in the huge temple, surrounding them with looks of saints and virgins judging them in silence.

Law refused to feel defeated and humiliated at the end of his journey, and he quickly looked up and glared at the man and commander of the organization. His grandfather. The man returned the same cold, with those eternal dead eyes, as if Law was worth absolutely nothing, as if he could kill him without the slightest remorse. And this would surely be true.

Many exorcists tried to adhere to the code, tried to eliminate their emotions, tried not to create links with anyone, but many weren't able to do it. As Law. To hold into the code had been one of the hardest things he had ever done in his life, to eliminate his own personality and ideas in favor of the organization's ones had almost killed him when he had been young, and for months, he had felt empty and at the edge of anxiety attacks, but at the end it had been the only way to survive in this place. In the end it had been better to feel nothing while seeing the gruesome deaths of his fellow trainees.

But his grandfather was different from all of them. Akainu hadn't tried to stick to the code, Akainu was the code. Law had realized that when he had seen the man for the first time after the man had killed his own son and Law's father who had betrayed him. A ten year old Law had been terrified of the man who had destroyed all the life he knew, had been full of anger and desire for revenge against a family member he had just met, but the man instead of consulate and try to calm the child in front of him, had only ignored him and thrown him into that suicidal training.

That Law had survived the first months was due to the rage and fury he had felt for the man, and with Corazon's help, an exorcist who had welcomed him as if he was his own son and had helped him overcome the loss of his whole family. But after years of punishment for disobedience and disrespect, after Law had been forced to contain his emotions to the terror around him, after the death of Corazon, Law had seen that to stand against this man was worthless, Akainu was simply too powerful to do anything against him.

In the end he had only resigned to a life under the orders of a monster.

Or so it had been until now. Until he had met Kidd. Now with the man he hated before him, and now that he had finally broken the code and retrieved his life, his ideals, and personality, he could only look at him with all the hatred that he had inside him for what the man had done.

Sending his plan to hell and showing the man dressed in wide white robes that he had broken the code.

"Law" the man dared to name him, with a disappointed and angry look, as if the mere talk with a traitor disgusted him.

Law smiled arrogant in the same way Kidd always did.

"Grandpa" he then said with hatred, watching the man frowning in disgust at the word, as if he didn't believed he was related with someone like Law.

Smoker digged his fingers in Law's nape knowing what Law was trying to do, and trying to stop him to worsen the situation. Protecting him despite everything that had happened. Law gritted his teeth. He didn't need protection, much less from the person who had uncovered him and separated him from Kidd.

Penguin on his left just looked away from the situation without saying anything, as always refusing to intercede with him. To Law, his betrayal hurt more than anything. However, Law ignored them and only focused on his grandfather. Now the man would punish him, now he would take his revenge for daring to betray him, and now Law would have to accept his fate. But Law didn't care what he did, if he has to die now, at least he would with pride, and protecting the dragon so no one could ever harm him again.

At least he would save Kidd and hide and protect him so that they could never go after him.

"Well dear _grandson_ " Akainu finally said leaning over Lawand indicating the difference of power between them, almost spitting out the word with disgust on his face, as if the mere fact of Law carrying his own blood revolted him "I think we need to talk".

 


	19. The truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, easter is coming and I have a bit more time, or that's what I thought before my dear teachers send me hundred projects. So, as the responsible person I am, here I am writing and ignoring it all. Also, thanks Piopiomeme for the corrections n3n

Akainu watched his grandson kneeling in front of him, the boy was badly injured, dirty and extremely pale, but still looking at him with pure hatred in his deep gray eyes. It was clear to everyone seeing him that he had broken the code, but the worst was that the boy wasn't even trying to hide it, he almost seemed proud to show his betrayal and cowardice to everyone.

The commander felt the blood in his veins boil with rage.

He would have expected such behavior from anyone else, but not from his own blood, his own grandson. Why the hell must he have such a family? What had he done to deserve having an offspring that was so easily corrupted by the devil?

The disappointment was too great.

He, who had spent years choosing a suitable partner to have a child that could be his successor and pride of the whole Vatican. He, who had pleaded to his superiors so many years ago to let him have a kid, someone he could manipulate, and trust... but in the end he ended up like this. Not only his son whom he had trained for years to replace him when his time to join the lord in heaven came, but now his grandson also betrayed him.

But the truth was that the boy was not to blame, with the whore he had had for a mother it was normal that the boy was unable to follow the rules. Akainu had had hope in him when Law has been brought to the order, with just ten years, and after Akainu had got rid of his father and mother, the boy had been emotional and too attached to his family. Surely, the commander had thought, he won't even be able to endure the hard training program of the exorcists. So the commander had not hesitated for a second, to throw the kid into it, and put him in the hands of the worst instructor of the order: Corazon, whom everyone knew hated children and who had never let anyone not suitable survive his training.

Akainu had hoped to get rid of the little worthless nuisance that was his grandson, with this little ruse, but things had not gone as he had planned.

The boy had not only completed the training, but he had also finished it with the best grades of the entire history of the order. For a while Akainu had even thought that some of his blood had finally reached a good end, and that the boy would be what had been expecting. His successor, the person he could trust, and the one that would help him to manipulate the strings of powers of the vatican. Together they would handle the order of the exorcists, together they conquer the world. The dream had been long and beautiful for many years.

At least until the incident with Corazon.

When the commander had given the order to kill the blond traitor, he had not only earned the hatred of Doflamingo, the brother of the rebel, but his own grandson had also repudiated him even more. Since then Akainu had needed to force the boy to work for him.

And apparently this was his revenge.

Akainu looked at his grandson like years ago he had looked at his son, as if he was a dull knife or tool that had lost its value. The boy had never meant anything to him, but after this last rebellion, it was better to kill him and end this stupid rebellious spirit before it encouraged others to do the same, before other people could use the incident against him. However, this time, instead of killing him and throwing him away as he had done with his stupid son, this time Akainu would forge a new the weapon from the broken one and exactly to his personal taste.

He was going to re-educate him, and there was no one that could stop him. Not even Doflamingo will be able to do anything this time as he had tried to do with the incident with Corazon.

Looking up Akainu stared at the captain of the rescue mission he had sent a few weeks ago to search Law. Smoker was one of his best men and he had never had any problems with him. The man had always followed the code as if by doing he was saving himself from hell, and basically he was just another fanatic Akainu manipulated as he pleased. His companion however was another matter, to send Penguin, Law's former partner, on the mission had been Doflamingo's idea, probably so that the boy could help his friend if something had happened, but, as Akainu now saw, the tactic had not gone very well. The boy seemed changed in several ways, but the most important was that now he didn't even looked at Law. As if now his grandson meant nothing to him.

Akainu couldn't help but smile victoriously. God seemed to be on his side this time.

"What is the mission report?" he asked the captain going straight to the point.

Smoker instantly tensed at the question, and seemed to panic, as if he didn't want to confess what he knew, because they all knew Law would suffer for it. Akainu knew Smoker still had that stupid unhealthy fixation and obsession with his grandson he had always disliked, but still the old man said nothing to the silence of the other and just waited.

The man had never betrayed the code, his fanaticism had always dominated him and besides, it would be stupid now, it would be a death sentence for himself as well as for Law. The truth potions had always been used in the order.

And as expected, the gray-haired man confessed.

"When we reached the village," revealed the captain at the end with a neutral voice "the mayor confessed that, in order to save his people, he had given Trafalgar's life as a sacrifice to the dragon. Apparently the monster wanted revenge and threatened the man with destroying the village if they didn't hand over Trafalgar. We then searched the village and its surroundings for days, trying to locate the beast, but we found out nothing and we ended up assuming that Trafalgar was dead. It was then, when we were thinking about leaving, we saw him by coincidence"

Penguin shifted uncomfortably and Smoker clenched his fists. However, what most surprised Akainu was the look of hatred that his grandson dedicated to Smoked at the word 'monster'. Law had never reacted that way to the insults the order used for their prey, indeed, he had been among the first ones who loved to despised these creatures. What was it that had caused the change?

Smoker, however, continued the report.

"Trafalgar was with a red-haired man and both seemed to be ... kissing and hugging." the man spat at the end as if the words burned in his throat. Akainu wanted to roll his eyes tired of that attitude, it might be time for a corrective to get Smoker over his tendencies "We understood then that Trafalgar had broken the code and that he had betrayed us, so we caught him and brought him to you as you ordered"

Akainu frowned confused.

The story didn't make any sense, if Law had been captured by a dragon, how had his grandson escaped without a scratch? How had he come out alive? Why hadn't he returned then?

Akainu started then asking question after question, made them repeat the questions they made to the mayor, made them to explain the research they had done, where they had searched, what they had seen, what they had found. As he got more information his frown deepened more and more in confusion. How had Law faced a mythological creature, if he had been drugged? What had happened in all those months in which no one had seen him? Why was he still in one piece if the dragon had wanted to kill him?

Law watched his grandfather start reaching some conclusions and start mulling over the story in his mind with theories he began to have, but for now Law was quiet, it was impossible for his grandfather to find out what really had happened, not even Law believed the wonder he had with Kidd. They wouldn't find it out. Kidd will be safe if Law didn't' say anything.

Or so he thought until his grandfather asked the last question.

"I understand, is there anything else I should know?" Said the old man giving the conversation for ended as no matter what question he asked, the story didn't make any sense and that it would be better to personally interrogate Law.

Law observed Smoker doubt beside him, tall and straight in the middle of the huge temple. But then he saw him open his worn out jacket and pulled out two pieces of antique gold that Law instantly recognized.

The bracelets that Kidd had given him.

"Law had this on his wrists when we captured him" said the white-haired man looking with disgust at the objects before throwing them to the ground, as if the touch of that wonderful pieces of gold deeply offended him "apparently the redhead gave them to him"

And then, as the yellow metal crashed against the bright marble floor with a metallic blow, Law watched his grandfather make the association and his eyes opened surprised, connecting the red-haired man with the red dragon. The man who had bracelets of pure gold, with the impressive treasure of a dragon. Spells to change shape, the mayor threatened by the dragon he described as human to the exorcist's laugh.

Law instantly panicked.

The raven-haired boy knew everything had gone to hell and the hopes to save at least Kidd, had just disappear thanks to that small gesture from Smoker.

However, his fear only got worse when his grandfather turned to look at him with a look of hatred that Law had never seen on him. Akainu always regarded him with indifference and annoyance, but he had never given him a look like this, he technically couldn't do it, the code denied any type of emotion.

Law trembled with fear under that look.

Smoker and Penguin also seemed to realize the incongruence, because both tensed behind Law, surprised by the attitude of their commander, but intelligently they didn't open their mouths to said anything. To comment on that now would have been suicide, the stupidest thing they could have done, the old man was simply too powerful and pissed to confront him now.

However Akainu, quickly realizing his slight slip, quickly recovered his mask of indifference and ordered the two exorcists to leave then alone in the huge hall of the cathedral.

His orders were dry and rough, as if he could scarcely contain the fury that filled him after the new revelation. Both exorcists looked doubtfully at each other but eventually they left the scene without saying anything, leaving grandfather and his grandson alone in the midst of the huge and deserted place.

Law was shaking scared, now that he had been discovered, they would go after Kidd again. They were going to hurt him. To his mate. To the best thing that had happened to him in life. The ex-exorcist held his breath trying to stop hyperventilating. The bracelets were shining in front of him accusingly, Law watched and remembered when the dragon had given them to him along with its enormous treasure.

He should have rejected them, he should have told Kidd that he didn't want anything, he should have continued denying it. Now it was too late. Now both were going to die for Law's stupid greediness.

His grandfather then knelt in front of him and took the bracelets on his hands carefully.

"Do you know where these bracelets are from?" the old man then asked looking angry that Law but with a now calm and calculating voice that meant he was planning something extremely painful.

Law said nothing. His mind was flooded by panic and a huge sense of guilt and regret.

"Four centuries ago, a pope gave bracelets identical to these to the Queen of Hungary in gratitude for sending troops to fight in the crusade" he explained rolling the gold pieces in his hands "However, these amazing pieces of gold never arrived in Hungary as someone apparently stole them. Those who saw the incident said it was a huge red dragon spitting fire from his mouth. Obviously no one believe them, doing so would have been stupid, especially when the little incident served to unleash a war between Hungary and Prussia when the queen accused the old empire of stealing the significant jewels"

Law followed the reasoning that kept reaching the same conclusion. If it had really been a dragon, how had such a treasure ended in the hands of a peasant? Following all the threads of reasoning the results ended in the same place. The coincidences would be too great.

The old man stared at him in silence, as if looking for something in Law to tell him he was right, as if to make him confess and recognize the truth to the world. As if to have a proof of the crime to condemn Law with no regrets. The younger yet said nothing and again withdrew into himself and into the code, desperate to defend Kidd.

What ended up angering the commander even more.

Approaching Law, he took him by the neck of the white and tattered shirt he had been wearing for weeks, and opened it harshly to expose his shoulders and the huge bitemark on his neck - Kidd's possessive imprint. Which marked him as his mate and equal for the rest of eternity, which revealed to the world the dark truth of what he had done and to whom he now belonged.

The victory crossed the face of his grandfather.

Law however felt then the instinct took control of his mind and screamed at him to hide the mark that only Kidd had the right to see. That bite was such an intimate thing in his relationship with the beast, that little proof that told him that what had happened had been real and not a wonderful dream.

Law wanted to attack his grandfather, defend himself and fight for what was only his. Unfortunately he was still shackled with heavy chains and could only snarl at the old man like an hysterically animal.

The commander looked at him with disgust, as if Law was worse than the garbage itself, as if the fact that Law could have done something like that with a monster, mating, and submitting to him in the worst possible way, was repugnant to him more than anything. As if the wonderful relationship he had with Kidd was no more than an atrocity.

"So you're now a dragon's whore" said the old man finally rising tall and imposing over Law, trying again to frighten him with his mere presence as he had done since Law had been a child.

Only that Law was no longer a boy who had lost everything and was in a hostile place completely scared, he now was a man who had discovered what to fight for. Without hesitating a moment he turned to the commander willing to shout and defend the pride of Kidd and his own. He would no longer tolerate his grandfather to insult and treat him like a worthless thing, Kidd had taught him how important his life was, how wonderful it was to live.

However, before he could open his mouth, his grandfather hit his face with a strong slap.

"Did you really think I wouldn't notice it?" the man continued trying to overpower him, trying to subdue him as he had done before "in addition with a man? I could understand if it had happened with some woman, some of those ... monsters, really know how to tempt the flesh, but with a man? ... my grandson as one of those detestable sodomites?" continued the old man with disgust before spitting on Law's face.

Law ignored the words. He ignored the harm that a society with these absurd beliefs was doing to him. He ignored the immense rejection and continued focus on defending Kidd and himself, how wonderful was their relationship, how happy had he been, but apparently his grandfather ignored his attempt, and just kept talking, trying to make him lower his head and apologize.

Trying to convince Law again of how he was the most worthless thing on this world.

"To dishonor your family in this way, your blood, _my blood_. What would your father think of this? Do you think he would be proud of his son that now opened his leg for some random man? For a monster? Do you think he would be proud of bringing to the world such an atrocity?" He kept talking, with a slight air of victory in his eyes, as if he knew with that this was the last blow to Law's will.

Because it was true. Law's father and mother was the only weakness the old man knew how to spoil.

Those words made Law freeze.

His blood boiled in his veins, as it hadn't done for years. The fear that he had had during this whole situation turned into a mountain of anger and, again, he wanted to kill that damn old man in front of him. His only biological family.

"Don't you dare talk about my father" Law hissed through clenched teeth "You have no right to talk about my father, you monster" he spat.

Instantly another slap crossed his face. The blow stung on his cheek, and even a wound began to open on the soft skin thanks to the rings the elder was wearing. But Law couldn't even complain when quickly a kick in the stomach followed the slap, making him sliding along the marble floor several meters away. Law coughed against the cold floor feeling something break inside him with a powerful snap. Instantly the pain blossomed in his stomach and the exorcist felt his vision become blurred thanks to the pain.

"I think you're wrong Law, here you are the only monster" Akainu then said with his voice quiet and calm despite the situation, almost a friendly whispering in his ears "but don't worry my dear grandson, I will personally correct your annoying trends" he said coming back to him and grabbing his hair until Law was at his eye level, "when I'm done with you, you will be the best pet of the Vatican, if we ask you to kill yourself, you won't even hesitate, if we ask you to lie down open your legs and let the King of France fuck you, you will moan as if you were doing it with your beloved dragon ... you'll be our little bitch, Law" he said at last laughing slightly as if he had told a joke that only he understood.

Law glared at him with a disgusted look, the mere fact that someone could force him to be with someone else besides Kidd made him even sicker than he already was. To betray Kidd like that was something that he couldn't forgive himself. Without hesitation, he tried to squirm in the grip of his grandfather, still chained and coughing blood from the kick.

"I prefer to die" he sentenced with a broken pained voice.

The old man smiled amused finally letting him go. As if the mere idea of Law dying made him laugh.

"Only God will decide that" Akainu answered arrogant, and the last thing Law felt before everything went black, was the foot of his grandfather connecting with his head in a powerful kick.

.

.

.

Kidd further accelerated his flight between the heavy storm clouds. For the past few hours his instinct told him that something was wrong and he was gradually panicking with the little hunch.

He had been flying for days without rest, and yet, he seemed not to be moving fast enough or sometimes even at all. From that day he had talked with Killer he hadn't slept or descended to the ground to hunt any animal to feed. But he didn't care. His dreams were plagued with black nightmares, and the food seemed to have lost its taste after Law had left. It was as if the sun was gone from his life. His mind was only focused on Law, he just needed to find him, just needed to have him back in his arms and everything would be perfect.

Scared, he accelerated the flight even more feeling his wings groan at the power they needed to plan even at this speed in the air. They ached, his whole body ached, Kidd was practically killing himself in that strange countdown.

But he couldn't help it, he couldn't lose the dark haired man too, after losing his family Kidd had spent centuries trying to recover from the blow. He barely had managed to overcome the loss of his entire herd, those with whom he had shared everything and that had meant everything to him. After seeing the death of his brothers and uncles, it had been the worst thing that had ever happened in his life. Seeing the links with his family, that tangled web of connections that shone with a thousand colors in his mind, broke thread after thread, had almost finished him. A dragon without his family was nobody. A dragon without his herd usually ended up killing himself not enduring the pain of being alone, or just going crazy with desperation.

Kidd, after years of mourning, had managed to assimilate it all with Killer's help, and the idea of his mate waiting for him hidden in some corner of the world.

When he had found Law, the dark haired man had filled a big empty space in his soul. Law had filled the empty black hole, and had given him back a part of his being that Kidd had believed could never recover. Law had become his new family. If he lost him too, Kidd was sure that this time he wouldn't stand it. Usually all shifters couldn't endured losing their partner, but for Kidd it would be fulminant.

Kidd would die right there.

So he didn't care if he didn't eat or sleep. Law needed him. And that was what he repeated himself again and again, quickening his pace to the impossible, until he almost felt his wings brake in the midst of thunder and freezing rain, until the black hunch disappeared being replaced by the crushing pain.

.

.

.

Akainu entered the black dungeon illuminated by torches that led to the torture cells. The rough floor of black stone made his footsteps echo through the walls and even the metal bars he passed by were rusty after years of disuse. The castle of Sant Angelo, the ancient fortress of kings and nobles, had now been reduced to a small prison for the Vatican where they kept all kinds of people and monsters. On the upper floors there were large and luxurious rooms, you could even glimpse the Tiber river from some room between the buildings of the city. Those were the rooms for the senior leaders, for the important people who even, in the exile could pay such an imprisonment.

But Akainu didn't ascend to the floors above, he went down to the dungeons that belonged to the organization of exorcists in the basement. There, an intricate labyrinths of catacombs led to different rooms and corridors filled with foul-smelling cells. The exorcists usually didn't tended to take prisoners, it wasn't useful for them to keep alive those nasty creatures, so those few cells were usually empty, or reserved for some of the few monsters that they captured and needed to study.

They were also used for torture.

Akainu sped up turning through the halls of the huge place following the screams of pain that could be heard resonating throughout the dreary and damp dungeon. The old commander couldn't help but delight while listening to them, it almost felt like a divine punishment, his stupid grandson screaming under torture, after all the boy had made him suffer, paying with his blood for having betrayed them for one of those horrible monsters. The universe seemed to almost turn back to its correct position with each new cry of pain from his grandson, and Akainu couldn't help but smirk when listening.

It always turned him in good mood putting people in their place. Especially if those people were their own family or subordinates.

Still, Akainu would not gloat much in the situation, he had too much to do and the reeducation would probably take several days until his grandson just broke and surrendered. So he could still enjoy this for a long time, they shouldn't spoil all the fun in just a day.

He finally turned in the last nook and came to the door of the room where they were torturing Law in one of the deepest and hidden places of the Vatican. Not everyone in the order approved of what he was doing, so it was slightly better to keep it private until he knew if this time the reeducation ended well or not.

However, when reaching the small hallway, illuminated slightly by the light streaming through a small window overlooking the floor of a deserted street, he had to stop. A young blond man was leaning against the door of the room from where the screams came from, with arms crossed over his chest and a frown on his face. As a sentinel controlling the door.

Doflamingo was totally tense and seemed to be able to kill someone with each new cry escaping from the room behind him.

Akainu ignored him with a smile of victory on his face and walked directly to the cell.

This was another enemy who had been unable to overtake him, another one falling helpless and unable to do anything to save the people he loved. The commander felt strong and powerful only by seeing him there. This was a reminder that no one could mess with him now or ever.

Turning the key to the door of heavy and rotting wood, the old man entered the dark room dimly lit with a torch and some natural light. The show that greeted him only made him smile even more satisfied. The man who applied torture, Moria, one of the subordinates of Vegapunk, laughed maniacally while obsessively using the whip with seven tails against the body lying face down on the floor.

Akainu had chosen this man because, as Vegapunk himself, his thirst for knowledge often made him do things that society didn't understand or considered correct. Vegapunk's section in the order was always in charge of studying the creatures that sometimes other exorcist brought from missions. It was the section of the order that was responsible for opening them in half without blinking just to see what they hid inside, or to experiment with them and discover new ways of killing them. They were always the ones who exercised torture or reeducation when it was suggested the first times.

They were the brain and intelligence of the organization, for the cruelty and utter lack of compassion they had.

This time was not different.

His _beloved_ grandson was on the floor, grimy, surrounded by a pool of his own blood. They had taken off his shirt and clothes in a final humiliation, and his whole body was lacerated from the blows of the huge barbed whips and the strange tools exhibited in the room. Red bleeding wounds contrasted sharply with the tattoos Law had painted on his body years ago, and with his perfect brown skin, in a strange work of art that the old man couldn't help but appreciate. The boy wasn't even tied anymore, Akainu doubted that he could even move. For the strange position of his body the old man knew that Moria surely had been breaking bone after bone, and joint after joint to leave him in that pitiful state.

Law was panting and shaking in the middle of the room without saying anything, probably too deep in pain to even say anything or beg for his life. His cheek was red from the slap he had given him this morning, and even Akainu could see a purple stain starting to appear at his side where he had kicked him.

The picture was just depressing.

But Akainu didn't care, this was the reeducation, he had to break the will of the boy, to force him stop feeling the pain that flooded him, to shut himself in his mind to withstand from the torture. It had to end his personality, break his mind, destroy his whole being.

With no doubt in his mind the old man approached the man with the whip.

"How's the process going?" he asked the nasty man.

Akainu had never endured Vegapunk's people, they were simply too strange, too sadistic, he had never been able to understand or manipulate them as he wanted and, they couldn't be bribed with the same things as ordinary people.

Yet he had to admit that, for this type of work, they were perfect.

"Still nothing sir, he's tough" the man said with that hateful hight voice "although it normally takes a few days" said the man laughing delighted.

Akainu nodded wordlessly. He didn't trust this man despite everything, so he would monitor the whole process himself when he could. He hadn't told anyone about his grandson mating with the monster, because if someone knew about it,many of his enemies would try to use it against him saying that the boy had inherited the corrupt blood of the grandfather.

Akainu wanted to avoid any altercation at all costs. He wouldn't stand an internal war now.

The bite on the boy's shoulder was barely visible, especially with new and fresh wounds, but the old man still didn't trust the jailer. Maybe he should kill him when all this came to an end.

Walking some steps, he knelt in front of the body of his grandson and took out a small bottle with a strange liquid. Only when the boy saw the little thing he began to writhe on the floor trying to escape fruitlessly between groans of pain. He had broken arms, legs, collar bone, and surely the spine. His fingers had been crushed with a hammer to a bloody pulp and from the wound in his eye was oozing a disturbing yellow liquid. It hurt just to look at him. Anyone would have fallen unconscious after so much pain, many even would have died, but Moria again and again, prevented him to take refuge out of his stupor with new drugs or new and painful blows.

Law still kept trying to crawl away from his grandfather and the small bottle crying and whimpering in pain. Gurgling through the blood escaping from his mouth through broken teeth. The old man gloated in the panicked eyes of the boy. He had lost all the hatred and arrogance from a few hours ago, he was beginning to break.

"Who you owe your loyalty to?" the old man asked his beloved grandson.

The boy looked at his face with those gray eyes riddled with tears and the frightened look instantly changed to hate. As if suddenly remembering the reason he was in that place, and the reason he was suffering.

As if suddenly Law remembered who he was.

"... to myself ...to Kidd" he answered between gasps and spasms of pain.

Akainu nodded. Then, without further delaying this, he gripped the bloodied and sore face of his grandson, pressed on one of the black bruises until the boy opened his mouth with a whimper of pain, and poured the content of the bottle into it, forcing him to swallow.

It was one of the healing potions of the order, the worst of all, unlike other that more or less palliated the pain of rebuild tissues and bones, this one didn't hide anything, it let one feel the pain throughout all the healing process.

Normally this wasn't done, usually, they always gave one of the other portions for compassion. One of the others that filled the shelves of the room in which they were, next to the torture devices and chains, but Akainu refused them all, he would not have compassion for someone like his grandson, so he got up, approached the torturer and handed him the bottle with the rest of the potion.

"Use this one" he told the man "and don't be so soft with him from now on or you will suffer the same" he seriously threatened.

He would not allow this to fail. Law would be his new pet and he would show everyone that none could stand against him. He would show them that the reeducation really worked, and implant it in the order until all the exorcists of the order were nothing more than puppets in his hands. Law would be the example to follow, the first of them all. The boy should be proud of his role, he should strive to submit.

When Akainu left the room a chorus of new shrieks followed him. Law on the ground kept writhing in pain as his bones turned to unite with loud pops, his skin grew back under the injuries, and everything in him again readjusted to normal. When the process was over, Moria would start again, breaking again the new skin with the metal rods, bones again will burst, the skin would turn black as the process began again. Then they would cure him, then they will break him. Until Law's mind couldn't stand it and just breaks.

When he left, he observed Doflamingo who kept staring at the door with a straight face, pretending to follow the code and to have no emotion, although Akainu perfectly saw the panic and anxiety in his eyes. The blonde wanted to get inside, he wanted to save the boy who for years had been adopted as family. But he wouldn't do it. He couldn't help him or escape this. If they escaped they would be captured and tortured, it would be much worse for them both and there would be no one to save them then. Doflamingo was the only opposition in order to Akainu's plans. If he died the order would be entirely his. Akainu could do whatever he wanted and no one would stand against him.

Doflamingo wouldn't be so stupid to give him all the power in the tray.

Not telling anything to the blond, Akainu closed the cell, and walked through the dark corridors again, happily humming a new tune. He didn't give Law even a week, the boy would not hold that much torture, in a few days he would have his beloved submissive and obedient pet, or a new body buried underground.

And in a few days he would also have the dragon.

Akainu knew the monster would come for Law. If Law was his partner, he wouldn't be able to live without him, his stupid animal nature would prevent any logical thought until he found Law and they were safe. The old commander knew it all from experience, he had seen with his own eyes what the link could do to those beasts, the experiments had been many and varied.

The dragon will surely come in a few days, but by then, Akainu would have already a plan to capture it. And then he would have a dragon in his hands, and then he would be the most powerful man in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You didn't know how much I laughted when you all expected Kidd to save Law XD
> 
> In any case, I'm taking a rest for some weeks, so I will came back some day when I want, have fun and a great holidays.


	20. Frustration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here I am again with more sads for you all, your weekly dose, I'm glad you all liked it cos it had just started, in any case I have to thank my dear beta u all know about, piopiomeme I love you, and also I want to anounce that tomorrow I will be publishing a new fic for the onepicebigbang event on tumblr (a bit of compensation after this). Hope you like it n_n

Law opened his eyes when he felt again a new wound opening on his skin with a fresh blow from the triple whip. Or at least what a few days ago had been his skin. Now, that bloody surface covered with dried blood and scars couldn't even be considered as such. But Law didn't care, this new and small wound was nothing compared to what he had been suffering those days, Law even appreciated the little sting on his back, it was a distraction from the pain the rest of his body was enduring.

Still, that little sense of relief didn't last long. He had awakened hours after Moria's last session after falling unconscious, and that only meant his personal nightmare would be repeated again. Moria would torture him and the raven knew that the big man with the pale face and misshapen figure was creative and meticulous with his experiments.

Because they were experimenting with him.

What they were doing to him couldn't be considered as something else, and the continuous comments of the nasty man who, day after day, kept hovering over him with a new weapon, kept reminding him. "You're just a broken tool, Law, but thanks to your sacrifice we will improve the order," he said again and again as he returned to ruin his face with a new punching session "Although you might be worth nothing and die through all this, you will serve for something, you should be happy. "

Day after day, he was reminded that he was worthless, that it was almost better to die and relieve the world from his worthless presence. Day after day Law sank with excruciating pain into unconsciousness, those words burning into his mind and weakening him.

Law knew that he was not going to stand this for much longer.

His mind and his soul wanted to resist and oppose the torture, show them that they were wrong and that he was good for something, but deep down he knew that in the end his survival instincts would take control of his body and he would end up yielding and submitting. Or with a little luck he might be able to commit suicide before it was all over. Law even had thought about it several times when the situation was simply impossible to bear, when his whole body was reduced to a throbbing mass of pain without form, when his mind was so saturated of that horrible emotion that he could only scream with shattered vocal cords. It would be so easy to kill himself by swallowing his tongue, drowning in his own blood ... but he couldn't kill himself, that would be the ultimate betrayal, to end a life that now belonged to the dragon. He couldn't do that to Kidd, Law couldn't be destroyed in that simple way.

He could only surrender.

And this terrified him.

To submit to his captors would be almost like betraying himself and everything he believed in and loved. He would become a puppet perfect and easy to handle. No emotions, no morals and no opinions. He would do everything that his superiors command him to do without even hesitating, he would kill himself if asked. They could order him to massacre whole families, order him unimaginable crimes and Law won't even blink. He would be the perfect weapon.

He could even kill Kidd.

So Law fought session after session. Day after day, until the pain became a part of his mind, something almost pleasant that showed him that he was still alive, still feeling, that he had not fallen. The days passed and to Law they seemed like weeks, months, although it also could have been just hours. He didn't have the slightest hope that someone would rescue or pity him. Law knew he would die here in one form or another.

They tortured him, healed him and then started all over again. Torture, healing, torture. After some circles they locked him in a filthy cell and left him there a few hours bleeding and shivering in pain until the next day they returned to take him and the song began again: torture, healing, torture.

After a time without results in Law's condition, without the slightest sign that he was going to surrender, Moria got bored and decided to try some of the poisons with which the section of Vegapunk was experiencing. Law felt them burning in his veins, felt his flesh turn black in spasms and his heart slowed until it almost stopped. Law regretted that it didn't. Moria meanwhile was fascinated with those effects and kept laughing while writing formulas in some papers, throwing a new substance to the poison, and making Law drink it again with a fascinated look. Law always shouted until he was hoarse and kept screaming until he was given the healing potion and his body returned to heal magically again.

After a while the scientist, tired of the poisons, decided to try different types of acids. Then they went to the burning fuels. Weapon after weapon the order tested them all on his body in an attempt to improve their properties.

After some days Law didn't even screamed. He just watched his flesh burn, his bones break, like someone who contemplated a fire devouring the wood in a fireplace. Without the slightest emotion. His mind just stopped feeling pain and only counted the seconds and minutes of the day until they left him again in the filthy cell and he fell unconscious.

It was then that his mind was plunged into darkness, and the pain, his problems, and everything else ceased to exist. It was in this short space of time that his mind disconnected from reality and he was alone and surrounded by this warm and protective black cloak. There, Law felt nothing, neither saw nor heard anything. But Law was grateful. After days of feeling just too much, Law simply sank into the perfect nothing.

Until he woke the next day, again in the torture room, between spasms of pain.

Although, for Law, the worst thing wasn't the physical torture, but the short visits of his grandfather every afternoon at the same hour. Law knew that the reeducation was not only physical torture, they would also try to break him mentally. Law had thought that he would stand that part smoothly, he had never believed anything his grandfather had said, he had never obeyed him, but after the first conversation they had, after a day of deadly sessions and suffering, the tanned boy had realized his huge mistake.

With his thoughts mired in pain and darkness after hours and hours of punishment, Law's mind didn't have the necessary defenses to stand against his grandfather's comments. Each of the blows the man sent him, the ones that a few days earlier wouldn't have done anything to him, were now a hit against his soul, hurting him deeply.

Law knew exactly what the old man tried, but his mind didn't understand it, the barriers that protected him were shattered, and Law could now spend hours mulling over each of the phrases of his grandfather as if they really were true.

"Corazon would feel so disappointed if he saw you now Law" repeated the man day after day "He died because of you, you know it don't you? You made him break the code, if it wasn't for you he would be still alive"

Law always denied it all, Law always refused to believe it, but day after day the words were entering him and gaining more and more meaning. At the end they became something that had to be believed. Doflamingo had always told him that Corazon had made the decision himself, that Law had nothing to do with it, but the young exorcist couldn't help having regrets about what had happened years ago, he still couldn't forgive himself for not being able to save his mentor.

And Akainu knew it and didn't hesitate to take advantage of it.

"Everything's your fault, to think that someone as big as he would die for scum like you, the bitch of a dragon" his grandfather kept saying, hour after hour, day after day, with Law not being able to refuse that bitter truth.

Because Cora had broken the code because of him and they had ended up killing him as a traitor.

But those days still weren't the worst, sometimes the old commander spoke of Law's family. Reminded him of his mother, his father and all what had happened that night so many years ago, Akainu insulted and despised them without Law being able to respond to his comments because of how tired he was or how hoarse after his cries.

"You know that, when I ordered to kill your bastard of father, your mother was pregnant? That you had a sister?" The old man asked one day, freezing Law's blood in his veins "But because we had you and the baby was a girl, we decided she wasn't necessary and I ordered her death" said the man and making Law, despite having been screaming all day, come back to insult and shout at his grandfather.

He was lying, that wasn't possible.

"Maybe we should have killed you instead of her" the old man kept filling his head with dark thoughts "Surely she would have been a much better exorcist than you, but certainly, if it hadn't been for you, she would still be alive"

That night, when he was left in the dark cell, Law couldn't stop screaming and writhing among nightmares and horrible ideas. He had tried to deny it for hours, he had sworn that this was a lie, but his mind was too weak and he perfectly saw his grandfather killing a baby without the slightest remorse.

That had been the worst day.

That was the final blow, his grandfather hadn't returned to speak about the subject, but since that day Law had not been himself, he had stopped resisting, he had stopped screaming and he had just begun to sink into that empty pleasant darkness.

"Whom do you owe your loyalty?" Akainu asked every night before leaving him in the cell.

The first days Law had always responded with passion, the early days he had insulted Akainu and had shouted at him to go to hell, that he was only loyal to himself and Kidd. But day after day, session after session, his will and strength were consumed.

Now his words were almost a whisper in the darkness of the cell.

.

.

.

Doflamingo stopped in front of the rusty cell bars clenching his fists and feeling totally helpless against what he saw.

Law was lying on the floor surrounded by his own blood and barely breathing.

As always they had left him in that stinking place without cure or giving him any soothing, forcing him to feel the pain even while he slept. Although he had at least been better than other times where his body was almost unrecognizable or that night where he had been screaming all the time as if they had torn a part of his soul.

Doflamingo just remembered shaking, the hearth breaking screams of pain.

Doflamingo went to see the boy every night, he could spend hours just listening to the boy's breathing and knowing he was alive. To just see him again, even if it was in that awful state, soothed a part of him that, until a few years ago, he had not known existed.

Law was all he had left.

After losing his brother, Corazon, the frightened child was all he had left. That child was the legacy of his brother, the only person he could trust, the boy was the reason he woke up every morning and continued with the charade that was his position in the order. The boy prevented him from falling into madness.

To send Law into those suicide missions had always been difficult for him, Doflamingo suffered whenever he saw the child going away without knowing if he would live or die. As had happened in the last mission with the dragon that had almost succeeded in killing Law.

And yet, despite wanting to protect him and wanting him out of this hell that was the order, the blond was losing him. The boy now lay at his feet in a pool of dried blood, unable to even move. Just like some years ago had happened with his beloved brother. He was losing the battle. Again. Despite the years that had passed, Doflamingo kept seeing people he loved die without being able to do anything but sit and watch. As much as he trained, as much as he ascended in that rotten order, the result remained the same.

No matter how much he tried to fight, no matter how much he wanted to protect them, he just couldn't do anything.

Now Law was going to die.

And he would be alone.

Kneeling in front of the metal door with no energy left, not knowing what else to do, he began to cry in silence in front of the mutilated body of the boy who had become like a little nephew. He didn't want him to suffer anymore, he didn't want to see him crying desperately. He didn't want to bury another dead body.

"Law…" he whispered, his voice breaking the silence of the night within the lonely cells. "Law please just give them what they want, just ... accept and they would leave you alone" he asked without being able take it anymore.

Every day he had been on the other side of the door, listening to the screaming, listening to each crack of the whip and breaking of every bone. There couldn't be any more. He would not stand another day doing nothing, he could not stand there watching Akainu coming out of the door with that victorious smile.

It had to end for once.

"... I ... ca-n't …" the blond man suddenly heard murmur in the dense silence, with a hoarse monotone voice, as if just breathing cost him an effort "Kidd ... they will ...I can't"

Doflamingo squeezed the rusty bars between his hands and rested his forehead against them. Just listening to that shredded voice broke the last barrier his heart had. That boy had always been so strong, had always been so full of pride and strength to live. And now he was so broken, so helpless and unprotected.

"I'm sorry" Doflamingo murmured finally closing his eyes in pain.

Because this was his fault, if he had been stronger, if he had more power, if he had been braver, he could have rescued him from the torture. If he had been Corazon, if he had his willpower he could have risen against the order to get Law out of there. But he couldn't, Doflamingo wasn't like his brother, he didn't fight with passion and did what he wanted, Doflamingo used logic, and it was that same logic that told him this was a lost battle.

'It's not ... your fau-lt …" Law continued, as always, trying to comfort him, trying to take the weight off and protecting him in that way he always had "I knew ... what I ... was doing .. .I knew ... the consequences"

Doflamingo understood. According to the report he had heard, Law had broken the code for wanting to be with someone, a guy apparently. Law had not only broken the vow of the order, but had committed one of the greatest sins. Doflamingo didn't want to question the boy's motives, didn't want to ask about the man who had made him do that. He didn't want to reopen the wound, which would surely be still open, he himself had also loved and fully understood why Law had done what he had done.

That Law had done it with someone of the same sex didn't matter. As long as Law was happy, Doflamingo was fine with it.

But unfortunately now, they had also taken the boy from his lover's arms. Now Law had returned to reality and was being punished for it. Even the man who had been with Law would be punished and disowned by his tendencies by his friends and family as the order always used to do. Always condemning every little fault. The order simply didn't understand a thing.

Doflamingo breathed deeply, trying to calm down. He couldn't fall apart, he couldn't put more worries over Law, more problems, he needed to be strong for him.

"Everything will be fine Law" he whispered, finally forcing himself to smile at the boy who lay face down on the floor "Just hold on a little more"

Then he got up and left the place resolutely. Law won't give up, he knew him, and meanwhile Doflamingo would find a way to get him out of there and hide him forever with that guy of the story. They would both be happy, he owed Law at least that, for all that Law had done for Corazon, for all he had done for him. He would frustrate the search missions, he would kill anyone who investigated the case and he would give them the life they deserved.

It was what Corazon would have done, and it was what Doflamingo should do.

His footsteps echoed on the impressive cobblestones, however, as he walked away, the blond did not know how wrong he would be.

.

.

Three days later.

Dawn was breaking and the world was beginning to change with golden and orange colors when Kidd spotted the tall, huge city, spreading over several kilometers between olive groves and vines like a small anthill, growing bigger and bigger. The river now shining under the hot Mediterranean sun and snaking between stone houses and mansions of the nobility.

Kidd had never set foot in Italy in his long years of history, cities and conglomerations always represented a danger to their race, but definitely, that city was one of the wonders of humanity.

As he approached the cultural center of Europe, Kidd began to make out the houses and high cathedrals now stained red by the sun. The rounded shape of the Colosseum next to the Roman Forum in ruins and thousands of ancient palaces dedicated to ancient pagan gods, barely rose like old bones buried after the fall of the empire. That city was the center of all Western culture, a mix of new and old, magic and science. The merchants of vegetables and cheese mingled with the clergy of the churches and the students out of classes of one of the first universities in the world. The artists argued with their patrons about the new work that had composed and the old town just begun to wake up to its usual bustle.

Kidd had planned to study the city while still in the sky. Up here the probability of being seen was smaller and he could see every attack sent his way that might hurt him.

He had finally reached Rome.

After days of flight, after sleepless nights in fear of having another of those nightmares where he saw Law being tortured, and after risking his life in that suicide persecution, Kidd had finally reached his destination. Opening his wings in the air, Kidd descended and began to plan over the old Vatican City with its golden eyes fixed on the old white dome of the St. Peter cathedral.

Law should be there, or at least someone in there would know where Law was and could guide him. Because, despite his efforts and concentration, despite being a mere meters from his other half, Kidd was still unable to rediscover the link and find Law. Kidd was still blind what Law concerned, it even felt as if they were more and more apart.

Down there, the magic was stronger, there were too many protection spells clouding his senses and his mind.

Kidd was the strongest creature in the world, but he still felt his own magic decrease under the powerful spells. And if Kidd suffered, any other creature with less power, as a changeling or some elf, would surely end up perishing simply by approaching the site.

That cathedral didn't seem a place of worship and prayer thought Kidd from his position in the air, it looked more like a fortress. With the huge square with white columns surrounding it like a wall and allowing people to enter the site only by one point, with tall buildings where it would be easy to shoot the enemy, and the huge cathedral in the background as a defensive point. The church may has deceived it's followers, but Kidd, after having fought in so many battles in his long centuries of life, distinguished perfectly the advantages of this architectural monument.

But he was not here to admire the beauty of the old city, Kidd wanted to recover something that had been stolen. So, without really thinking about what he was doing and not wanting to stop and plan an attack to the huge building, after flying for so long and losing Law, Kidd simply swooped down against the dome of St. Paul.

The bright marble stones didn't withstand his onslaught and broke quickly under him allowing him to enter in the dark interior. Kidd quickly spread his wings to stop his fall and flew into the vast interior of the place without problems despite his size, gliding between huge pillars and rising air currents along the dusty place.

The stones from the ceiling fell on the marbled floor and wooden benches splinting, breaking them irreparably, some statutes also broke, and the decorated dome surely would never be repaired to be as it had been. Clouds of dust rose after his flight and a furious Kidd just roared as he paced among the huge halls.

And then he saw them, two figures in front of that strange altar in the middle of the cross the cathedral formed. A blonde man dressed in a black uniform that appeared to have been arguing with an elderly man with black hair that seemed to be his superior. Both looked at him with an amazed and frightened look.

Kidd instantly roared at and lunging for them.

The blond man immediately pulled a pistol from his uniform and pointed at Kidd as he began to mutter one of those songs riddled with magic. Kidd wanted to laugh at him, but after what had happened the first time he and Law had fought, he wasn't going to underestimate the exorcists. Now he would not lower his guard, and now, he would be impossible to defeat. Especially with bullets and with those little spells.

However, what worried him was the look the old man sent his way.

Instead of running or trying to defend himself as the blond man was doing, the old man just crossed his arms and smiled satisfied. As if he had been waiting for Kidd. As if Kidd was his next toy instead of his next prey. No one had never looked at him like that, humans always feared or tried to escape from him, never smiled pleasantly when he was in this form.

Kidd instantly felt the uneasiness took hold of him, but he had no time to analyze it.

Stopping in midair in front of the two men, Kidd showed them his intimidating huge teeth and finally transformed back into his human form, landing on the floor with an elegant jump. The blond man gasped in surprise to see him, the gun frozen in the air, looking incredulously that such an imposing creature like a dragon could transform into a human like them.

The old man only widened the satisfied smile even more.

Kidd didn't give them time to say or do anything, he quickly closed the distance between them, gripped the elder man by the strange white tunic, and lifted him into the air in an attempt to intimidate him with his strength.

Kidd knew his eyes expressed the purest rage, his lips were pressed into a thin tight line and everything about him screamed violence. His appearance was still that of a madman, armed from boots to head, and still covered in blood, his hair was mussed after the flight and every muscle in his body was tense and ready to attack.

Several men had passed out just from seeing him like that. As the devil's assassin, ready to attack.

"Where's Law?" Kidd then asked in a voice that indicated that if he didn't get his reply quickly, someone would die.

The old man hanging in the air didn't seem affected in the least by his act of intimidation and he just kept smiling with victory in his eyes. Kidd was starting to feel uncomfortable, was starting to have doubts.

"I don't think Law would be very pleased if he saw you treating his dear grandfather like this" said the man with a slightly strangled voice, but still strong and powerful, like the voice of someone who had had power throughout all his life.

Kidd's eyes widened instantly in surprised and released the man abruptly. Then he just stepped away and watched the old man in disbelief, but he realized immediately the similarity that both had, the black hair, elegant features, intelligent eyes ... Law. His family. The man was his grandfather. Law had family. Unlike him who had lost all of his, several centuries ago, Law still had someone who cared for him. He had someone to protect.

He couldn't help it, he stared at the man with a blank mind, not knowing what to do. He couldn't attack Law's family, Kidd knew what it meant to lose a loved one, he didn't want to hurt Law, he couldn't hurt the old man, no mattered how much he wanted to help Law.

The old man in front of him rubbed his aching neck from where Kidd had grabbed him and smiled again at him sideways. Kidd couldn't help feeling that this man was studying him from head to toe, as if studying the power he had, as if he was about to buy a weapon.

Kidd felt another chill running over his body because of the man, but his mind was still analyzing the situation, simply not understanding it all, that's why he didn't pay attention to what his instinct screamed at him. The other man kept pointing his gun at him, but now the man was also frowning and looking at them both worried and with a dubious look.

Finally, as making a decision, the old man moved toward him and looked him straight in the eyes. "I think you and I need to have a little conversation, don't you think?" the man said with a voice full of self-sufficiency and almost contempt.

.

.

.

Law closed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling his lungs being pressed painfully against several broken ribs. The session was over. But for some days they haven't even allowed him to go back to the cell to rest at the end of the day. Now everything was permanent, physical torture, psychological, no rest. Law couldn't escape the pain for even a second.

And he was losing the battle.

Law had found himself several times wanting to submit, wanting to give up and forget all about his relationship with Kidd, for the mere fact that this all would stop at last. He just couldn't take it anymore. His mind kept sinking more and more in those strange black nightmares where nothing existed and where he didn't have to endure more suffering.

His mind began to try to free him from the reality.

Law sought it more and more each passing day, he thought about getting rid of everything, to end all that suffering and all that horror, to end all his problems. He would forget Kidd and everything he felt for the dragon, he would stop worrying about what the order would make him do if they discovered Kidd, and he would stop having the nightmares. He would forget his family, his sister, Corazon, the remorse would disappear, the pain of their loss, the desire to form a family and regain happiness. Everything would disappear. His life would only be reduced to obey or die.

It was just so easy. So tempting. It only required a few words and it all would end.

Moria again hovered over him with a strange device covered with runes in his hands and that curious look that Law had learned to associate with a specific session of pure pain. The ground around Law was covered with blood again, and the dark haired boy only observed the ceiling from which the chains hung that barely held him upright.

"How many volts do you think a human body can stand?" the creepy man asked with that repellent shrill voice.

Law closed his eyes whimpering. He couldn't take it anymore. This had to stop. He was going to die or go mad if this continued. He didn't want to die. He didn't want to disappear into the nothingness of the order and be remembered just as one of the failed experiments.

But he couldn't stand it more.

When the strange metal part of the device touched his stomach and a powerful electric current ran through him from head to toe making his muscles contract spasmodically and every nerve ending screamed in pain, his survival instincts finally took control of his mind.

Law felt the darkness begin to take shape in his mind. Growing and destroying every memory and every emotion he had ever hold dear, the pain disappeared, his concern and his desire to see Kidd sank into the dark, and everything that had been Law disappeared within it's depths.

It was only the code and the order. There was only darkness.

Law gave out a relieved breath of air.

It was over. It was over.

It was done.

As a newborn child, Law opened his eyes and looked around feeling like everything seemed different. Brighter, cleaner. Best. His breath was creating clouds of steam in the air, his blood was spread on the floor and he was hung from the ceiling in an impractical posture.

But there was no pain, there was no cold, no fatigue. There was nothing.

Moria had suddenly stopped the session and now looked at him curious and almost surprised. Law with the now clean mind, instantly analyzed the situation as was dictated by the code and then realized that the man expressed emotions. He had expressed them during the entire torture. He didn't follow the code.

"Boy?" Then asked the man. But this time his voice didn't caused Law any displeasure, it was only too high. Nothing else. There was no emotion associated to the fact. There was nothing. Simple and perfect nothingness. As it should have always been.

" _Whom do you owe loyalty?"_ Law then heard his grandfather whisper in that repetitive way he had before leaving him in the dusty cell.

This time Law didn't hesitate to murmur.

"To the order"


	21. Lies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here I am again, I'm sorry for the delay but I have hundred things now and I will be taking more time to update, sorry guys, but in any case thanks a lot for the hundred reviews and comments, you don't have any idea of how happy this makes me. Love you guys (also love u piopiomeme, mi dear beta, you have saved my life countless times) T^T

* * *

The old commander observed the red-haired man who was standing proudly in front of him. The dragon's eyes glowed with a magical fire, his red hair vibrated amid the darkness of the place, and his huge and powerful body seemed to be able to inspire legends. Definitely the dragon was an impressive specimen, the pride and joy of its race.

It would be the perfect weapon in Akainu's hands.

If only Akainu could trick him to do everything he wanted, if only he could convince him to become his docile pet, everything would be just ideal. Akainu would be able to conquer the whole damn world with that being by his side, no one would ever be able to beat such a man, the king of all dragons.

Luckily for him, the grace of God seemed to be on his side and the man in front of him seemed totally convinced that, as Law's grandfather, he was an ally who wanted to save the boy and would help them.

If only the dragon knew the truth.

Smiling entertained by the irony, the old man approached the half-naked man, covered with wounds, who kept looking at him surprised by the commander's latest revelation, as if he really had not expected that situation. It was clear that Law hadn't told his mate about his lovely relationship with his beloved grandfather. The dragon was totally oblivious to the situation in which he was and, by Akainu's will, believing that the old man would help him.

It was all an advantage too great to let it pass by.

Doflamingo at his side also kept looking at the elderly with suspicion in his eyes, but the blond knew nothing too. He didn't know that this creature could save his beloved nephew, so the stupid man would not intervene.

Akainu, for a moment, just let the feeling of absolute power fill him up. He controlled the world. He had the information and manipulated the people around him as if they were just puppets. Only he was able to make two possible allies, fight fiercely with a few words. He either has to give the order to Doflamingo so he would try to destroy the creature, or he put the blame for Law's punishment on the blond and the dragon would lunged at him.

The world danced in the palm of his hand and the commander could only laugh.

"You're Kidd, right? Law's mate" He asked in the kindest and innocent voice that he could fake, as if he really appreciated that the dragon was in a relationship with his idiotic grandson.

The redhead nodded slowly, still alert and cautious, but finally reacting and crossing his arms in front of his chest as in a stupid attempt of intimidation. Akainu saw mistrust in the eyes of the redhead, but still, the man was not going to take much longer to partially trust him and practically get himself captured.

"Yes, so what?" The dragon asked instantly in a defensive manner, with that powerful and strong voice that echoed through the walls of the church with a macabre resonance.

Akainu smirked. The man wasn't stupid, at least he would understand the orders when Akainu gave them to him.

"Law told me a lot about you. Apparently my nephew appreciates you much" he murmured still smiling kindly and making the dragon instantly tense as if he had remembered something painful "... Yet I'm afraid I can't say the same" he said at last, starting with the game.

The dragon in front of him frowned at the final comment and bared his teeth like a wild animal hissing at an enemy, as if he didn't give a damn whether he approved or not of their relationship. Akainu frowned again, pretending to be angry about this attitude. If he wanted this to work, he would have to interpret his role of a overprotective grandfather perfectly, and that included to scream a bit at this creature.

"Thanks to you and to the... _relationship_ you have with my grandson, Law has been captured and sentenced to death" he accused the dragon, lying vilely as he crossed his arms, faking being angry.

The dragon roared in front of him, instantly pissed off and his eyes seemed to glow with rage at the mention of Law and death, which only made Akainu smile even more internally. It was so easy to provoke, so easy to manipulate, the old man practically saw the dragon's eyes accepting him as a comrade. As if the fact that Akainu cared for Law was all he needed to accept him.

"That's why I'm here" the dragon however continued arrogantly "I'm going to rescue him" he announced almost proud, as if he was gaining Akainu's acceptance just with that words, as if he wanted Law's family and grandfather's acceptance.

"And how do you plan to do that?" Asked the old man, wanting to roll his eyes at how easy it was "Do you plan to fight the entire organization alone? You don't even know where he is, when you get there it may be too late for Law" the old man continued moving the pieces on the board one after another.

The redhead meanwhile clenched his fists frustrated, and Akainu felt his anger rise and warm the environment's air.

"What do you want me to do then? Stand by idly?" the monster replied almost shouting.

Because Kidd didn't like the situation, the thought of Law just about to die made his mind stop thinking, absolutely frightened. He had thought that coming and attacking the order would solve the problem quickly, he would be able to rescue Law and in a few hours, the two of them would be together frolicking on a bed.

Clearly the thing couldn't be so easy.

He was back in the same situation as during the start; he couldn't do anything because it would be too late, because he lacked information, because he needed allies. The order could even use Law against him, they could threaten his life, and they could hurt him in revenge for what Kidd had done.

However, Law's grandfather continued smiling gently. He could help. They were family after all, he would have to help.

" _I can help you"_ the old man said then, solving all Kidd's problems with a single sentence. Kidd felt the weight lifting from his shoulders in a strange way, he felt the relief of someone who knows that the torture would end soon, and that soon he would have Law in his arms again.

"What do you propose?" He asked, trying to hold back how grateful he was for those simple words.

Akainu on the other hand just wanted to laugh seeing the absolute confidence that the creature now had in him.

"I can take you to Law's cell, but I can't help you with anything else" continued the old man with the face of repentance, as if he also wanted to save Law "From there you will have to continue alone, if I help you in anything they can blame me for betrayal, and kill me too" the old man continued to weave the web of lies, totally amused by the credulity of the creature.

Capturing him was going to be so damn easy. When the dragon smiled, with that smile ridden with teeth, and clearly unable to contain his emotion, Akainu had to hold back the tears of laughter.

"Would you really do that?" Asked the redhead, clearly excited.

Akainu smiled, sensing victory within reach. "Of course" he continued with the charade " _Law's my dear grandson_ "

And with that he turned and started to head for the exit of the place smiling in victory.

Doflamingo looked at the dragon in surprise as he began to finally understand the situation. It was clear he had not understood where the dragon came from or the attitude Akainu was suddenly presenting. But he was starting to understand that Law had become the whore of a monster and, he was still too shocked by that simple new to do anything about the whole situation, thus he won't alert the redhead of the trap he was falling into.

It was the perfect situation.

Suddenly stopping before crossing one of the side doors of the cathedral leading to the Vatican's palaces where the order and priests lived, the old man smiled. The soldiers probably would be outside, waiting for his order to enter the place, after all, Kidd had broken the main dome of the cathedral, it was impossible that neither the order nor the College of Cardinals themselves hadn't realized the incident. Still, as the puppets they were, they wouldn't attack the place or the monster until Akainu ordered it.

Turning to face the the redhead who was a few steps behind him smirking excited and impatient, Akainu looked at him in surprise, as if he had now noticed something.

"Now that I think about it, you can't go outside like this" he suddenly explained "You had attacked us and you are our enemy, if you go outside just like this it would be clearly suspicious, they would attack and kill us before reaching Law's cell"

The dragon stopped short and looked at him, frowning, as if he didn't understand why they had stopped "Never mind" he said quickly "I will finish them all, you just take me wherever Law is" and with just that, he kept trying to move toward the exit without worrying about the huge fight that he would have to face.

Akainu smiled in wonder. He would be the perfect weapon.

"That will not work" the old man still insisted "they can still use Law to stop you"

Kidd at his side growled in frustration as his gaze darkened. Everything went back to the same: he could do nothing, Law would always be in danger. Every time he seemed able to find the answer to his problems, a new barrier appeared and Law still remained unaccounted for.

"Then what?" Kidd asked, frustrated, almost shouting to the old man.

Akainu pretended to think about the situation, seeking a solution, although deep down he just laughed delighted with the whole situation, reveling in the new prey that was already in his hands.

"What if you pretend to be my prisoner and had lost the fight?" he asked at last as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

The dragon looked at him incredulously.

"What?"

Akainu smiled innocently.

"Look, I would chain you and we pretend that I have defeated you in the fight, so when we go out and take you to the cells, and they won't attack us. Once we got to the cells, I would liberate you and bring you to Law" he explained as if it was the most logical thing.

He then smiled like a weak and innocent old man who couldn't be a threat to the mighty dragon.

Kidd looked at him doubtfully. He didn't like the idea of being chained and exhibited as if he had actually been defeated by an old man, also, he was wondering why the blond man in front of the altar was still in shock without attacking him. People didn't shy away for so long by his presence, if he was in shock it must be because of something else, and besides, maybe he could trust Law's grandfather, but that would not apply to the blond man. Shouldn't they kill him so he won't alert the rest of the order?

Something just didn't fit.

But there weren't many choices. This was all he could do in this situation. He had no time to think about other rescue plans, he also had no idea of where Law was exactly held captive and he couldn't spend more time without seeing Law. He needed to find him to know he was fine. The fact that the link between them remained closed despite the closeness, or the fact that the torture nightmares would not stop tormenting him at night, had only put him on edge on the recent days.

He needed Law _now_.

Besides, he could always break free from the chains if the old man lied, he could always kill the soldiers if they attacked him and he could always find Law on his own with the original plan. At least now Kidd knew his mate was somewhere in the cells, the cells used to be underground. It wouldn't take much to get him.

"All right" he said at last accepting the offer "but hurry".

The old man smiled satisfied and Kidd couldn't help smiling back, thinking that at last, he would be able to rescue Law and that his suffering had finally ended.

"Show me your wrists" said the man and clutching Kidd's wrists as soon as the redhead presented them to the man.

That was one of the first alarms that Kidd's mind sent him. The man was too strong, with callused fingers after using a sword, and riddled with thousands of scars. They were not the hands of someone weak, but of someone terribly strong.

The second alarm was to feel that little pressure of dark, fetid magic ruffling his skin, something that shouldn't be there, something that was simply wrong. Then he saw the old man's face transform from the friendly and innocent smile into a cruel grimace full of disgust. Kidd finally lowered his eyes to looked horrified at what he was about to be chained with.

But it was too late.

When Kidd wanted to withdraw his hands from the man's ones, realizing he had fallen into a trap, the old man's hands closed around his wrists tightly as two gold bracelets he had already known appeared and closed around Kidd's wrists binding them together with a thin chain.

"You really are an idiot" the old man whispered, seeing the horror on the face of his powerful new pet.

He had a dragon.

Since he had discovered the existence of this dragon, Akainu had only thought about how to capture it. The handcuffs were one of his masterpieces, an object that he had spent days to bring to perfection, awaiting the arrival of the dragon, and dreaming about his empire.

The bracelets that now rested on the arms of the dragon were the same ones that he had taken away from Law a few days ago, but slightly modified. The small bracelets were imbued with magic and twisted spells that would make them impossible to break, even with the dragon's strength. They couldn't break no matter the force of the prisoner or the magic that it possesses, these ones absorbed the power of their prey and would store it for Akainu's own use.

The bracelets would not only steal the dragon's magic, but they would also prevent the redhead from transforming, keeping its true nature as a secret until needed.

Now he had the dragon. Now he would use Law to manipulate the beast. Akainu would make him raze and destroy cities if the beast didn't want to see his beloved partner die or suffer the keenest torment. And best of all was that, when Law ended his reeducation, his beloved grandson would also be at his mercy.

He had two new toys and with them he would dominate the world. This was the beginning of his empire, this was a turning point, his secret weapon, because no one in the order yet knew about the existence of Kidd or Law.

So when the stupid dragon roared and tried to pounce on him with the murderous instinct in his eyes, the old commander dodged him without problem and pushed him to the ground with a kick, delighting in how the beast rolled on the ground without magic and no power to defend himself.

"Now you're my toy, little monster" he added laughing.

.

.

.

Akainu smirked as he poured the wine in the heavy golden cup, filling it with that maroon colored liquid. This was one of the best wines that had ever existed, a famous vintage wine from the 56 harvest from the Italian Piedmont, one of the best in history, and practically a national treasure. A single bottle could reach a high price on the black market, and yet, being who he was, he had not had the slightest problem getting it.

It was perfect to celebrate the beginning of his empire.

Heavily leaning on his office chair, Akainu closed his eyes and raised the cup to his lips, relishing in the aroma and flavor of that jewel of a wine. On the other side of the window; the children were playing while walking among the narrow streets of the old town, enjoying the last rays of sunlight; and the high court ladies rushed between laughter and gossip to the latest works of theater of the day, wearing those stunning velvet dresses.

Akainu watched the world at his feet as if everything already belonged to him. Feeling that everything seemed just... perfect.

"Let him in" he whispered finally to the black dress guard guarding the heavy door of his office, with a contented smile stretching his wine wet lips.

When the boy entered the room decorated with marble and extravagant objects, Akainu couldn't help but notice the obvious change that his dear grandson had suffered. The boy, serene and standing in a perfect guard position, made his way to the exact center of the room and stopped right in the middle of it.

The old commander looked at him from head to toe, studying him intensely. The horrible wounds had disappeared from his tanned skin with the potions and not even the slightest scar remained to remember him of the torture he had endured. His uniform was totally black and fitted perfectly, not a wink, not a bad knot, just the code, his position was alike the regulations, with the long sword at his side and his hands behind his back, waiting for orders.

It was just the perfect view of an obedient soldier.

But what fascinated the old man the most were his serious gray eyes. Where before had been an unleashed storm shining with fury and rage, now there was absolutely nothing, only the cold steel of a lifeless sword.

His grandson had successfully passed the re-education. No emotion shadowed, no feeling ran over his face while watching the man who had killed everything Law had ever wanted and loved.

There was nothing, Law was just an empty shell.

Akainu rose from the old golden seat where he had been sitting, feeling his skin prickle of excitement. Leaving the wine glass on the table, he arranged the twisted white tunic he was wearing and walked to the completely motionless boy in the middle of the room.

As he approached, his excitement grew when he noticed the small details: the shoulders of the boy relaxed and didn't tense as he had whenever Akainu had talked to him, his hands open and not closed in fists of fury, his legs in a slightly open position to guard and not to attack.

Akainu licked his lips when he saw that, at the end, he had succeeded. Finally he had the first of his many puppets in his hands.

"Whom do you owe loyalty?" He asked at last, raising a hand and caressing the warm cheek of his nephew, delighted to see that this time the boy didn't retreat with disgust, to see that everything was real.

"You, my lord" the boy answered without even hesitating, with that completely cold and emotionless voice, his eyes remaining fixed to the front as the perfect machine he now was.

The old commander trembled with pleasure after hearing those simple words. At last he had succeeded. The rehabilitation had worked. His beloved nephew was the living proof of it. Now the world was his. Nobody could stop an army of men without feelings. A soldier who felt no pain, who didn't question or doubted orders, was simply unbeatable.

Akainu would have an invincible army.

And a dragon.

Helpless, Akainu bent over his nephew and hugged him tightly as he laughed loud and strong, making the macabre sound echo within the walls. The guard at the gate looked at him scared. His grandson in his arms did nothing while his grandfather gave him the first hug in his life.

"I'm so proud of you, Law" he whispered into his nephew's ear "Thanks to you the world belongs to me".

.

.

.

The captain with blond hair and tired eyes finally managed to bribe the guard with heavy embittered gold coins and sneaked into the heavy cell without anyone seeing him. To place one of his own guards at the post had been almost impossible, but apparently, the money was always the perfect answer for that kind of people, no matter to whom they would be loyal.

But to enter, however, had been an odyssey.

That cell was not even in the Castel Sant Angelo where they used to lock up all the prisoners, and where you could enter without problems, but this cell was in the very bowels of San Pablo, under the huge cathedral. They were in the Pope's private cells, and the people who knew about them could be counted with the fingers of one hand.

It was where Akainu had locked the dragon.

Doflamingo quickly walked down the narrow and hidden corridor to stand in the middle of the only two cells that were in the place, knowing that he would just have an hour to talk to the creature until the next change of guard. Yet he was not going to need that much time, he had planned what he was going to say and what he needed to ask hours ago.

Approaching the cell from which came the grunts and sounds of chains, Doflamingo watched the redheaded man who had interrupted his conversation with Akainu, a few hours earlier.

Eustass Kidd was chained to a wall, forced to barely stand. The strange magical bracelets were still present on his wrists, but now they were covered with blood after the struggle that the monster had done to try to break free. He had been stripped of weapons, they had given him several beatings to manage to put him there, but despite his battered state, Doflamingo knew that if he let him out of those devices, the dragon won't take long to create another slaughter.

His gaze was one of a desperate man who had lost everything. Growling desperately and on the verge of crying because of impotence after hours of fruitlessly trying to break free. His body was covered with wounds, after the beating even his pants had been frayed, and to Doflamingo the man just reminded him to how he had been after losing his brother and main pillar in his life.

That man was a reflection of how he had been in the past. It was the reflection of someone without the slightest hope. To see him like this made something in the blond's chest cringe with embarrassment. Maybe he had held some grudge against the dragon Law had risked so much and ended this way, but it was by seeing the attempts of the redhead to get loose and the roars he desperately emitted that all the frustration vanished.

"So you're the person for whom Law had betrayed the order" he said as he leaned against the bars of the cell, crossing his arms.

The man inside instantly stopped his abortive attempt to break free and, raising his head, looked into Doflamingo eyes with those strange golden embers he had. Doflamingo could only shudder at the look fraught with power and content rage. Perhaps the creature was shackled and in his last moments, but still, he continued to inspire the power and danger of a demon. This was a man who would never submit, a legendary creature who had lived for thousands of years, and one that a mere humans would not be able to break unless they had something to kill him with.

Something like Law.

"Have you also come to mock me?" the red-haired man then asked with a tense voice of someone that waits for the inevitable.

Had Akainu tortured him? Had he punished him? The blonde closed his eyes, totally tense only to imagine it. He didn't know why, but without knowing him yet, he felt he had to protect and help that chained man. Not only for Law, but because he seemed to be someone just as tormented as him.

"No" he responded quickly, avoiding the glare "...I really don't know why I have come" he finally recognized with a fake smile "I suppose I wanted to know the person my nephew had died for"

Because the truth was that Doflamingo had seen him. He had seen what they had done to Law because of the dragon, what they had made of him. Doflamingo was still shaking as he remembered the icy, empty gaze that Law had dedicated him, hearing the tone, void of appreciation and respect with which Law had answered his questions. As if he wasn't more than a machine.

Akainu had practically rubbed how Law had survived torture and now was his toy over Doflamingo's face. The old man had ordered the boy to raise his sword against his adopted uncle and Law had done it without hesitation and without even the slightest emotion furrowing his face. As if he wasn't even the same man.

It was at that moment when Doflamingo had realized that he had lost him forever, and it was then in a panic attack when he had run without hesitation to see the imprisoned and chained dragon, prey of the desperation of seeing his last family disappear into the cold nothing.

"He isn't dead" the dragon roared through clenched teeth, fighting back against the chains and with his eyes were glowing in fury.

Doflamingo wanted to laugh in pain. He wanted to comfort the redhead. He wanted to comfort himself. Lie to himself, wake from the nightmare. But he couldn't afford the self-deception. The dragon either. Kidd needed to know the truth. They needed to accept it to be able to respond to the blow.

"No, what they have done to him is far worse" Doflamingo replied at last, without deigning to look into the eyes of the beast.

Because it was the truth. It would have been better to kill Law instead of that. Now they would use Law's corpse to destroy everything that the boy had ever loved, they would make him raise his sword against his own family and friends, without Law being able to do anything about it, he would destroy villages, children, and elderly. He will become the monster that Law himself had always feared he would become. They would corrupt his memory, his mind, until his own friends and loved ones hated him for becoming such a monstrosity,

There was no turning back from the rehabilitation. The mind would not support the return to what it has been before, it was just too broken to regroup itself and come back intact. They had lost Law forever, but instead of being able to bury him underground and mourn him, they would have to see how the young man became a puppet in the hands of another monster.

"What do you mean?" The dragon asked with a serious voice but with a slight tinge fraught with terror and fear, knowing nothing of what had happened, still happy in ignorance.

The blond then hesitated whether to tell him or not. Maybe it was better if the dragon didn't suffer, perhaps Doflamingo could protect him for Law, and perhaps it was better not to take away his hope. But looking at redhead's bloody hands, his body riddled with wounds and his pleading eyes and Doflamingo could not help it.

"They have... broken him, they have removed all traces of consciousness or emotion he might have. He has become a machine" he finally sentenced staring at the dusty ground beneath his feet.

Silence filled the room. That place deep in the earth where the light barely entered, fell into a tense and incredulous silence.

"That's a lie. Law is strong and would not fall for something like that" the dragon instantly answered with anger in his voice, but clearly doubting his own words.

"Everyone has a limit" Doflamingo said, trying to exculpate Law after all he had been through "No one has ever come out alive from the reeducation process. Law has done it ... but at a high price. He doesn't even distinguish friends from enemies anymore" Doflamingo whispered with another fake smile on his face.

"But he is still alive" insisted the dragon.

"Yes"

"Then I'll bring him back"

Doflamingo smiled at the innocence of the creature, at his belief that he, as Law's partner and as his other half, would be able to do the impossible. Doflamingo had lived for many years under the roof of the order to stop believing in miracles years ago when he had to bury his younger brother.

"It's not that easy" he tried to make the dragon understand. He didn't want the man to pursue now an impossible dream. It would only expand the damage, and Doflamingo had promised himself a moment ago that he would protect the man.

"I don't care" the creature replied arrogantly, looking at Doflamingo as if he really didn't understood why the blonde doubted the truth of his words.

Doflamingo looked at the man sadly, pitying him. The dragon had not seen Law, he didn't understand what he was saying, and he didn't understand it was simply impossible.

"Why are you telling me this?" The redhead then asked, giving him a suspicious look not trusting him. The blond wasn't offended in the least.

"Because you may be the only person alive apart from me that really cares about the welfare of Law" he answered with a defeated look "We are the only ones left that can protect him"

The dragon continued peering at him more closely now, watching him from head to toe and frowning slightly. The blond let him do whatever he wanted still too lost in his own dark thoughts.

"Who are you?" asked the dragon at last, now looking at him with mild curiosity.

Doflamingo sighed.

"That doesn't matter" he quickly responded "The only thing you have to know is that from now on, Akainu will try to use Law against you, I can't do anything to help you" the cell was too guarded, the fact that they would use Law too to punish Doflamingo prevented him for doing something stupid "but you have to try to escape with Law before Akainu forces you to do anything, or the whole world would end up in his hands"

The dragon looked at him blankly.

"What?" asked the dragon totally confused. Doflamingo rolled his eyes.

"Akainu wants to create an army of unemotional soldiers as he has done with Law" he decided to explain "years ago they already tried doing something similar, but no one survived the tests and the experiment ended up discarded. However, now that Law is Akainu's proof that the conversion actually works, he would use it to convince the rest of the organization that creating something like this is possible"

Doflamingo was explaining the situation as fast as he could, and as the redhead began to understand his words his eyes were filled slightly with alarm. But that was not the worst.

"I'm not trying to brag, but the exorcists are already the best military organization in the world, we know the magic and can cure any injury or illness, we are well versed in all kinds of combat or weapons, and we are required absolute obedience" he began enumerating some of their strong points "However, if you take away the ability to decide, the ability to judge or refuse to do something ... we will become the best weapons in the world. We will raze entire nations without the slightest remorse, no one strong enough would be able to stand against us, and the world will be at the feet of Akainu, our leader, and Law's granddad" he explained at last.

The dragon gave him a look full of anger, stating clearly that over his dead body was he letting something like that happen. Because if Akainu got the power, not only would he kill every magical creature that existed, brothers and friends of the dragon, he would also submit all free people that lived on the planet.

"That's why you have to escape" he said returning to the original problem here "gather your allies and destroy the order before it is too late, before what happened to Law is repeated and more lives are lost needlessly" Doflamingo finally begged.

The dragon however still continued to stare at him immobile.

"How can I trust you? How do I know that you are not using me for your own plans?" The dragon asked at last, voice strained furiously.

This time Doflamingo did smile. It was good that the man began to distrust and would not fall again into such an obvious trap like the one Akainu had set.

"You can't" he said making the dragon frown "but let me show you something"

Moving away from the bars, the blonde started unbuttoning the black jacket and white blouse he wore underneath it which together formed the regular uniform of the order, and he finally exposed his chest to the eyes of the beast.

There, in one of his pectorals, just above his heart, he had a huge tattoo with the shape of a big black heart. The blond knew that Law had several similar tattoos covering his chest and back with the same design, after all, they had made them both together, when Corazon had died.

It was a silent memory that they both had made in honor of the man and, consequently, the dragon's eyes widened in recognition, and Doflamingo knew then that the beast would believe him now.

"Maybe it's too late for Law, it may be too late for me or for the whole world, but I will not let this man get away after everything he'd done" he said tensely with the promise of revenge in his eyes "The only thing I ask for, dragon, is that you take Law away from this place ... and that you help me kill Akainu for everything that has done to make him suffer"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I want to clear some things: Kidd is not stupid, for him, a family is one of the most sacred things on earth, so it's unthinkable for him that someone will be able to betray his own family, for him it's impossible to believe that Akainu will be able to betray Law, so he trust him with no problem.
> 
> In any case, hope you liked the chapter, see you in a few weeks.


	22. Arrogance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok people, here I am again, 1AM and posting your stuff, glad you liked the previous chapter, thank you for the suport, and thanks also to my dear beta who despite being clearly bussy still helps me with the story. Love you darling.

Kidd returned to pull hard at the heavy bracelets feeling the bewitched metal digging into his wrists, absorbing all the power he has and leaving him vulnerable again. Since Akainu had put them on him, he had hated feeling tired and trapped inside his own body. It was as if by robbing him his magic they were also stealing Kidd's own essence, it was as if the bracelets stole the last glimpse of hope just by seeing how the wonderful gift he had given to Law became awful chains for him.

Kidd had been fighting to free himself for several days. Sometimes trying to find a logical way to get them loose, thinking about some kind of spell that could counteract the power of the bracelets. Some other times he only fought against them like a hysterical animal.

Kidd hated those times, when his rational part disappeared to be replaced by that wild animal that burst into fits of rage against the bracelets. He hated the anxiety and claustrophobia he felt at those time, the impotence and terror that came over him. What would happened if he couldn't take them off? What if he could not transformed back? If he couldn't fly again?

The animal inside him whimpered at the thought while Kidd cuddled over himself on the floor, licking the wounds that now covered his wrists, trying to stop the bleeding, and the pain that his numb muscles caused him. A dragon needed to fly, he needed to cross the sky between the airflows like a human needed to breathe. If they tore his wings Kidd would end up falling into madness.

But the truth was that none of that mattered, that was not the main problem. Not after what they had done to Law.

The blond man named Doflamingo had described him the situation in great detail. The man had come to visit him a few times since, apparently, the grandfather of Law had hidden him in a place that was not readily accessible. The small room couldn't even be considered a cell. It was rather a narrow room with high ceilings and completely empty except for the chains that caught against the wall and a row of bars that divided the room into two compartments. It was as if someone had decided to make the secret room in a tiny cell centuries after its first construction.

Even the atmosphere wasn't typical for a cell, the floor was made of cold white marble, the walls and even the ceiling was decorated with religious motifs climbing up the columns to join on the ceiling in a pattern of knots. It was cold in the place as it was in all churches, but what disturbed the redhead the most was the dense layers of dust covering the floor that trickled into his lungs helping the claustrophobic feeling. The room didn't even had a decent window through which the sun could enter, no, the small trail of light that illuminated the place just came from a small skylight at the top of the wall.

The old dragon's jaw clenched as he watched a small circle of dust on the floor on the other side of the bars. There the blond man had sat just a few hours ago, and there, Doflamingo had told him the harsh reality. At first Kidd had not believed him, he had had no reasons to believe him, but after seeing the man's eyes darken when he told Kidd of everything they had done to Law, Kidd had no other choice but to believe him.

They had tortured Law.

The blond had said he had been at Law's side all the time, listening to the process but unable to intervene. He had told Kidd about the piercing screams as they had went on for days before completely disappearing. He had told Kidd about the sound of bones breaking, the smell of burning flesh or lashes that had even gone through the heavy wooden doors up to his ears. The blond had not omitted a detail while explaining how each evening at the same time Law's grandfather entered the room, and instantly more cries and screams were heard, telling the man to shut up and stop lying. How every night they threw what was left of his nephew into a filthy cell. How they kept consuming Law day after day, until finally there was nothing left of him.

Kidd felt his blood boiling just to remember the story, only to imagine everything Law had have to go through, not only physical but also the psychological torture, everything together and mixed with the sole purpose of destroying him. They had hurt his mate, they had made a lot of damage to him. This was going far beyond anything that Kidd had done to any living person in the world. He hadn't even done anything like this to the people that had destroyed his own family, their deaths had been quick and clean, not a torture of days and weeks to get to break them.

No race in this world could be attributed such cruelty, and yet the small and harmless humans, were able to do it to someone of their own species.

The dragon tensed his muscles and roared in the small room contenting to see the ground shake. He had never felt so angry in his life, he had never been so eager to kill someone and destroy an entire civilization. Nor had he ever been so unable to release his anger. To be chained not only was tearing a part of his own being, but it was also preventing the remaining part fulfilling his desire for revenge and getting rid of the rage that was consuming him little by little.

Making a dark and forgotten part of his soul start growing and consuming the rest.

Kidd had always done what he had wanted, if he was hungry he ate, if he wanted to fuck he went to the nearest town, and if he wanted to kill someone he simply eradicated their existence from this world. He had never had to control any emotion, never had to swallow any feeling. So now, while his whole being and every instinct screamed at him to rip away the life of the old detestable man and hand over his head on a silver platter to his mate, he could only grunt and swallow all the rage and anger that filled him and feed them to that growing darkness inside.

That darkness from which emerged a terrible fear.

Doflamingo had not only told him what they had done to Law, but he had also explained the result. The dragon remembered the words that the man had used to describe what Law had become after the torture "unemotional", "dead inside", "cold" and Kidd couldn't help but shudder just to imagine it. Law had finally surrendered, he had not waited for him, he had not believed that Kidd could rescue him from the torture. Law had finally surrendered and had submitted as his grandfather had wanted. What if he no longer wanted to be with Kidd? What if Law breaks the link? If he couldn't be again as he was before? What if Kidd won't be able to bring him back?

Doflamingo had explained him that Law's mind had been terribly broken when he had finished the re-education, the fact that he had survived had already been a miracle and now it was simply impossible for him to return to what it was before. The mind of any being would be unable to walk back the path to where he had been at the beginning. None would be able to rebuilt a spray soul to what it was. It was simply impossible.

Back then Kidd had fought and had told the blonde that he himself would get Law back, Kidd fought with passion, he had defended his other half. But now, alone in the darkness of his cell, the dragon began to doubt. If Kidd had not even managed to protect Law from the kidnaping, how could he achieve the impossible? How could he face Law again and fight for Law's soul when it had all been his fault? How could he, a man that had lost everything, recover the most wonderful thing in his life?

Kidd refused accepting that he had lost Law like the blond man had done, but he also refused fighting for Law. He didn't deserve Law after all the dark haired man had suffered because of him. Because if they hadn't meet, Law surely would have continued to live a normal and happy life serving God, he would have continued to work on those missions and he would never have had to end up losing himself. Kidd had been selfish, he had tried to keep the boy for himself, he had kidnapped and almost imposed the link. Everything was his fault and he knew it. He saw it in silent resentment and accused look Doflamingo sometimes sent his way.

So what could he do now? The blond wanted Kidd to come out and fight for Law, fight for the world, but Kidd wouldn't even dare to approach his mate in fear of making him suffer even more. As much as he wanted to be strong and fight for what he wanted, Kidd couldn't help but sink into doubt and fear.

It was then, in the evening of the third day chained to the wall and seeing no more than the dust and the blond man, that a loud noise echoed through the wall to his right.

Kidd looked up observing the place as his mind got out of its depression and resentment, and a second blow resounded in the place, fracturing the wall. Getting on alert despite the chains that bound him, the redhead watched the golden stone wall eventually break to reveal a known figure.

"Killer?" asked the redhead with a broken and surprised voice.

"Hey" replied the blond man, finishing to break some rocks out of the wall and entering into the place.

His friend had always been tall, almost as tall as Kidd himself, and thanks to the damn cursed blood running through his veins, he also inspired the dangerous and frightening air Kidd had. His face was covered by a heavy steel mask that hid his expressionless face and long blond hair fell to his waist along the powerful muscles of his chest. He was really a good looking guy despite the weird and mysterious appearance, furthermore, girls tended to approach him even more often than Kidd with his silent and aloof behaviour, a thing that annoyed Kidd to no end.

The blond slowly approached the redhead still tied on the floor with the graceful movements of a cat, stopped a few steps away from the dragon and crossed his arms over his chest, looking like a mother about to scream at her son.

"What are you doing here?" the dragon asked, feeling his mood improve at the mere sight of his dear friend, his family, the only other person he had in his life.

"Don't know" the blond haired man replied sarcastically "Rescue you?"

Kidd frowned at the answer. He hated feeling weak and powerless, hated that they had to help him when he was the creature that would protect the rest. Kidd was a king, he couldn't rely on others, he couldn't afford that luxury. He needed no rescue, he was strong enough to do it himself, if he hadn't done it yet, it was because he had not found a way to break the bracelets, but eventually, he would do it, he would be free and end the fucking Order. Then, he would think about what to do with Law, he thought bitterly.

He didn't need his shifter friend, the last time they had spoken they had argued, Kidd had ignored the words of his friend and, consequently, he had endangered himself. Killer shouldn't be there, not after how badly Kidd had behaved towards him, and yet, here he was, staring silently at Kidd without moving in the least, as if waiting for Kidd to say or do something.

"What?" Kidd asked defensively, knowing that the long awkward silences of his friend could get him crazy too easily.

Killer shrugged sighing.

"I don't know, how about an apology for your friend who told you to not come here alone, but that you intelligently ignored?" The blonde asked in that specific tone of _I told you, you are stupid_ which made Kidd look like an idiot.

Kidd growled low. He would not apologize. He never apologized, not even to his friend. He was a damn dragon, he was never wrong, in addition, Kidd didn't have time for this nonsense, Law's grandfather was still breathing the air of this world, and Law himself needed his help.

"I didn't ask you to come, I don't need your help" he replied arrogant pulling at the chains, and, as always, refusing to show the slightest weakness.

"Oh really? Then maybe it's better if I go away and leave you by yourself, isn't it?" said the blond, punishing him as he always did, like a big brother helping a little stubborn baby.

Kidd growled low again, seeing how the blonde manipulated him so easily. That was the problem of knowing someone from childhood, Killer could read him like an open book, he could understand what was going through his mind, and he had never hesitated to take advantage of every opportunity he had with Kidd to get what he wanted.

"No" Kidd finally said swallowing his pride and surrendering to the inevitable "I'm ... sorry, it was my fault" he said at last, as if those words ripped his heart apart, saying more than he intended, baring his soul and displaying the gaping wound that just kept bleeding because of Law.

Killer knelt in front of him at the end and put a hand on his shoulder supporting him. Kidd sighed at the contact and leaned his head on the wall feeling his mind relax and slowly return to normal just by feeling his brother at his side. They had done this thousands of times. Killer saving him when Kidd was already giving everything for lost, and then scolding him like an angry mother, but at the same time supporting him and encouraging him.

"Killer you were right, I shouldn't have come alone" he finally answered smiling sadly "I'm and idiot for not listening to you"

"I know, you always have been" replied a smiling Killer instantly, finally pulling out a small golden key from a pocket and starting freeing Kidd from the bracelets

When Kidd was finally free without that anguish, without that weakness and terror gripping his mind, both stood and stared at one another for a moment. Both had spent centuries without seeing the other, both had been shouting and arguing just a week ago, both had almost lost each other because of Kidd's stupidity.

Helplessly the redhead took the couple of steps that separated them and crushed the blonde man in a huge tight hug. Killer instantly hugged him back with a satisfied sigh, as if he had been needing that for too long. No shifter could stand being away from his family, but Kidd had spent too many years trying to get away from his friend and forget the tragedy.

He had hurt them both.

Perhaps he should have done this before, reopen the link, and retrieve his only brother, because to have his family at his side again, hugging and supporting him with his problems, putting him out of misery, consoled the dragon in a way he had never thought possible.

He had missed Killer so much.

Kidd pressed closer to the blond man in his arms while Killer laughed entertained and messed Kidd's hair like a big brother, proud of his rebellious little one.

"Let's leave this place and rescue your beloved mate" said the blond at last.

.

.

.

"H-he escaped" the soldier shouted when he reached the huge golden room where the commander was chatting with his grandson "The dragon ran away" he repeated breathlessly.

Akainu looked at the soldier of scrambled black hair and freckles covering his face, panting in front of him after what had probably been a huge race. Ace was one of his best exorcists, but his lack of intelligence and tact put him on a ladder far below the one that his grandson now inherited. Ace was still too emotional despite how beautifully he followed the code.

A thing that would soon be resolved with the re-education.

The old man put down his feathered pen on the desk of his beloved office and could only mutter a single question to the freckled boy who was kneeling in front of him.

"What?" He asked containing his anger barely able to understand the news.

The poor boy trembled at the voice of his superior, but still, he repeated what he had seen and heard, looking with fear at the boy with an empty look behind the commander. Trafalgar Law had become a legend in the Order. He was the first one that had survived the re-education. His mere existence represented a dramatic change for the organization and many already were debating what should be done, if forced exorcists to obey it or leave things as they were.

The entire organization was tense with the conflict that the commander had created, and the different fractions were emerging as the organization was heading for a civil war. Ace didn't know what to think, Law had been one of his closest friends, but the freckled boy could no longer recognize him, but right now that wasn't the issue that concerned the young exorcist. His main problem was the angry man before him, who seemed able to kill him right there after he announced the news.

"The dragon..has ... escaped" he repeated at last, now even more scared of the commander "The cell is empty"

The old commander instantly rose from his chair and planted his hands on the table with a nasty blow, making the roles tremble and the inkwells spill its contents on the desk.

"How the hell did he escape? I have a fucking handcuffed and helpless dragon locked in the bowels of a palace and you allow him to escape?" He shouted at the poor messenger.

Ace trembled and lowered his head to the ground completely terrified by his boss. Akainu had always caused him terror, it was as if the man had no soul, legends about how he had acquired the commander's seat followed one after another, and now, with his new plan to change the order, Ace could only see him as the true demon king.

"I ... I'm sorry Sir" Ace finally said not knowing what else to say.

"No, but you will". replied Akainu standing and getting out from behind the desk, quickly heading for the exit. His beloved grandson instantly following him like a perfect puppet, obeying the orders of his master "Ace, you'll be the first one to test the re-education method when I get it implemented in the order" he sentenced briskly as he left the place, leaving a trembling Ace in terror on the ground.

Akainu toured the convoluted corridors and stairways of the Vatican, trying to reach the gardens. The Vatican consisted of several buildings, it wasn't only the impressive cathedral and the huge round square where fanatics came to pray for the Pope on pilgrimage, but behind it all where the dependencies from the people that actually controlled the world, the palaces of the Vatican and the exorcist's Order.

The various palaces were full of art pieces, lustful gardens and huge marble rooms as in the main cathedral, and, there, both priests of the Vatican and the soldiers of the order lived together as they trained for their future. Several courtyards followed stairways between rooms and balconies, the Sistine chapel stood in the lower halls, and the impressive Vatican library occupied almost entirely one of the huge buildings.

But the commander didn't address any of them, he just went through the polished gardens to his own huge palace, where he had locked the dragon deep in the most hidden place. The building was one of the most impressive thanks to the commanders who, for generations, had lived in it, and that used to rule the order and the entire Vatican. The Pope may be the public figure and might look as the head of the entire church, but if he really would be, the whole organization would have disappeared years ago.

Such a big organization needed someone with an iron hand and some guts, to lead it, the messages of love and peace the church proclaimed were useless when it came to start a new crusade against the monsters or muslims. The commanders had always been the iron fist in the organization, they had always been the ones who had made it move forward, and, of course, they always obtained something in return.

The huge palace where they had lived showed just how much power they held, the palace was the largest of the whole set, with golden roofs and walls constructed in black marble. The huge flagship exorcists stood high at the entrance and the impressive marble colonnade served as an entry to the endless rooms. Each new commander had always added something new, something more magnificent to amplify its wealth or shield them against intruders, and at the end they had created the cells in which now Akainu had locked the dragon. They had built passages and crypts as his power increased and more people wanted to get rid of the awesome power that held the order of exorcists.

Akainu walked briskly by perfect gardens into the huge building that for years had been his home, and that was the greatest fortress known by the world. Behind him, Law followed him without stepping more than two meters away from him.

Akainu couldn't help but smile pleased.

When he had ordered Law to protect him from any enemy, Law had taken that order by heart and he hadn't separate from his grandfather for the slightest moment. Wherever the commander went, the boy followed him without hesitation, while sleeping, the dark haired boy watched his door, as he ate the boy was dedicated to taste Akainu's food trying to find some trace of poison, and Law just looked like a little obedient dog, pursuing his beloved master.

Just as he was doing now, following him steadily with that cold look that Akainu so much adored. Today he hadn't even needed to say anything, the boy had simply followed him. Akainu smiled in amusement as he listened to the boy trying to catch him in his career. But his smile didn't last long when, when he was just about to enter the building where he had locked the dragon, another imposing shadow loomed over them, hiding all the sunlight.

Suddenly stopping and raising his head, the old commander had to hold back a scream of terror when he saw the imposing red dragon hovering over them two, clearly pissed. From his mouth escaped huge flames of fire that fell on the ground calcining everything, and his growls and roars of anger made the ground shake. For a moment Akainu thought that this was his end, that the dragon would descend and kill him right there.

For the first time in his life, Akainu tasted the terror.

However, Law, instantly stepping by his side, just drew his sword and pointed it the dragon, his former lover, as if Kidd meant nothing to him. Protecting Akainu from the beast.

_True_ , Akainu recalled, _he had the boy_. The commander laughed nervously and slightly mad at the terror that the creature had caused him. He was the commander of the whole Church, the most powerful man in the world, he could destroy nations and races if he so much as desired it. He should not fear anything. Raising a hand covered with golden rings, he placed it on the shoulder of his tanned grandson and looked up at the dragon, smiling in a macabre way.

The dragon then looked at the boy next to him and Akainu could practically see as the beast stood still in the air, recognizing his mate. Akainu broadened his smile, perfectly knowing the change that his beloved grandson had suffered. The rebelled look Law had had before, the arrogant face, the tousled hair, and the threadbare clothes the boy had prided himself in wearing had disappeared to just follow the most colder and perfect code. The boy was the perfect puppet, emotionless, without the slightest defect in appearance, with no trace of personality.

The dragon roared over him and immediately rushed down sharply landing a few meters from them between dust clouds. From the surrounding buildings soldiers began to emerge, screaming and pointing with their weapons at the huge creature on their territory, but the red-haired man who had now emerged from the dust clouds only set his sights on his mate in front of him.

"Law" He murmured with a voice plagued with both, relief and desperation, as if the mere sight of Akainu's grandson brought him back to life. "Law, come here, let's go home" the monster practically begged without taking his gaze from the boy.

Holding out a hand to his grandson as if he really thought that, with only that, Law would return to his side.

Akainu wanted to laugh. Had he really been afraid of something like that? Covered with blood, dirt, and the teared clothes, the monster looked almost defeated and submissive to his grandson, to the boy that Akainu had managed to break. The old commander felt his confidence resurface just by seeing the dragon suffer, seeing him almost on the verge of tears in front of his grandson. A dark satisfaction rose in his chest after the pathetic episode of terror he had felt. No one would cause him fear, the dragon had to pay.

His grandson held his sword raised, ignoring the dragon's plea, ignoring his words and prayers, as if they weren't worth anything, as if they meant nothing. The dragon then let out another whine and again repeated his offer as he approached Law slowly, as if afraid to hurt or provoke an aggressive reaction. Akainu couldn't help smiling amused at their pathetic attempts.

"Law, answer this monster" he finally ordered.

And the result was instantaneous.

"As you command, sir" his grandson said while still pointing to the beast "I protect and serve my master and the church. My home is the order. My only duty is to kill and annihilate creatures like you" he recited the code with an empty dead voice empty "I'm not going anywhere with you"

Akainu could perfectly see the raised hand of the creature shake, he could see his hurt and lost eyes, or how he looked at his partner without understanding what was happening. Akainu saw as a part of the dragon's soul broke completely to hear those words.

Akainu only smirked more, this was his punishment for ignoring his orders and escape from the cage that Akainu had given him. Now the whole order knew about the existence of the dragon, the whole order had gathered in the courtyard and both, exorcists and priests, regarded the stunned redhead with fear. His secret weapon was gone, the dragon had disobeyed him and now he was going to pay for it.

"Law?" the creature asked again with a broken voice.

"Law no longer exists" announced the commander as he tussled his grandson's hair possessively "Now he's my puppet"

The dragon then turned his dark gaze and glared at him. Akainu almost felt like the other had killed him, he felt the magic of the dragon surround him threateningly and the air warm around him under the hatred that the dragon's eyes contained.

Akainu again feared death by the hands of that animal, but his grandson approached him and protected his commander, assuring him that the dragon wasn't going to do anything. He had the boy, if he killed Akainu, he would take the dragon's beloved partner with him to the grave.

"I'm going to kill you" the creature sentenced anyway, with a voice so full of hatred and resentment that it seemed able to summon death itself.

Akainu laughed nervously again.

"I have your dear partner, de something stupid and he will die" Akainu threatened with no problem "and now go back to your cage if you don't want anything to happen to my dear grandson"

It was true, he had the control, with Law on his side the dragon couldn't do anything, the dragon was his obedient pet, if he disobeyed, Akainu would punish him, if he behaved well and did what he was told, maybe he would feel generous enough and would allow him to hold Law's hand between the bars of his cage. But nothing more. The redhead would be his pet forever and he needed to understand it the sooner the better.

Or so he thought.

"I think you don't understand the situation here" said the dragon without taking the death glare away from his person "Nobody gives me orders. If you lay a finger on Law or do the slightest damage to him you and your stupid organization will be eradicated" threatened the creature back, instantly changing the situation and regaining control with a few words.

"No, you will not, I have Law, I can use him to…"

The dragon roared and the world trembled beneath their feet in response.

"NO, YOU WON'T! You will not harm him!" he said to the couple as he approached them slowly, making Law rise his sword even more to press it against the throat of the beast. The dragon didn't pay even the slightest attention to the sharp blade "because right now, Law is the only thing that is keeping you alive"

And with that Kidd turned and walked away from the two of them, giving them his back with no fear for his life. Walking imposingly and arrogantly despite the defeated appearance and the torn clothes covered with blood. As a true king walking away from the battlefield.

Akainu clenched his fists.

"Then what? Will you leave your mate with me?, are you going to leave him?" Akainu tried again to upset him, tried to make him fight so he could kill him. The yard was full of exorcists, if Kidd started a fight he could easily kill the beast.

Because if the dragon didn't obey him, he was useless to him, and he would be better dead.

He couldn't kill Law, it was true, maybe he wanted to use him against the dragon, but his grandson was valued in other matters. He was the proof that the rehabilitation worked, he was the living proof he needed to subdue the order completely to his command. If he killed Law, he would not only lose the dragon forever, but he would also lose his only chance to become the most powerful man in the world.

The dragon knew it, Akainu didn't know how, but the monster knew Law would not suffer the slightest damage if he stayed there. He knew Law was too valuable for the commander.

"No, I will not abandon him" added then the dragon, standing for a moment and turning to contemplate them "I'm just leaving him in your caring hands for a time while I prepare a war" he sentenced making the old man open his eyes, astonished at his words.

"What?" Akainu asked surprised.

However,the dragon only ignored him and, again, he transformed, rose in the air and flew away into the rays of sunset. The exorcists shouted orders, started shooting arrows and bullets at him, trying to chase the beast.

Akainu ignored them.

Had the dragon really declared war to him? The old man wanted to laugh incredulously. A dragon against the whole organization of exorcists. It was impossible he could come out alive. If he wanted to kill them he needed at least an army, and there had never been any record of something like that in the history of the world. The monsters, like the redhead, were unable to work together. An alliance or an army of his kind was not working.

Akainu wanted to laugh. He had thought that the dragon would be smart, that he could pose a threat, but Kidd would destroy himself. The problem would be solved alone and he would still have Law for his plans.


	23. Conclave

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, here we are again, sorry for taking so long, I have been busy with exams and with showing my city to my dear beta, hope you had fun my love. In any case, this chapter it's important for various reasons, till now we have only seen Law's world and Law's problems, not it's time to start with Kidd ones and his history. Hope you like it.

Quick steps echoed down the long tunnel as the two men walked down the dark and dusty maze that were the catacombs of Rome. Kilometers and kilometers of galleries had been scattered and hidden underground for centuries, housing the tombs of thousands of men persecuted by the Roman government before Christianity was implanted in the empire.

Or that's what the story said. The truth was that those intricate tunnels that ran beneath the huge city of the Mediterranean, had existed long before the world was taken by humans. His people, his race, those creatures who were now living in the shadow with fear of being discovered had built those tunnels. For vampires, demons, trolls and other creatures of the darkness, those underground cities were the only way to interact with their comrades without perishing under the sun.

However, with the arrival of men, the creatures had been persecuted, their cities ravaged and even the arrogant clans of Italian vampires had ended up leaving the city to see how new civilizations were built above their old home.

The once bright and decorated old tunnels were now nothing more than a dirty, dark grave where the bodies of dead people waited for the doomsday. Many halls had ended up collapsing under the weight of the new city, cobwebs keep growing in corners and overall, the appearance was depressing and disturbing.

Just like Kidd's spirit.

While the redhead again turned a corner behind Killer, who guided him in the total darkness thanks to his impressive night vision, Kidd studied the chaos of emotions and thoughts that was his mind.

An impossible fear that he had never felt before mixed with an overwhelming sense of pain and desperation. What had they done to Law for the raven boy to not even recognize him? What if now he couldn't rescue Law? If he couldn't get him back? Insecurity and terror for what was happening swirled inside him, squeezing his chest.

But above all the feelings was the rage. Rage at having lost his other half so helplessly, for having even allowed this to happen. Kidd felt the anger and hatred resurface inside him, making his eyes lethally glisten in the darkness of the place. It had been many centuries since he had felt these emotions for the last time. But again it was because of those humans.

Kidd wanted to roar, wanted to turn around, take off and destroy this city with its horrible people. His instincts screamed at him to attack and return the blow, but his rational mind knew he had to wait. He had to survive. First he had to summon the conclave, they had to plan and decide where they could do more damage. If Kidd waited, the attack would be even worse, and this was all that kept him from turning around and answering to the offense now.

Because Kidd had become the king of his race for a very simple reason: He had survived what no one else had survived. Century after century, millennium after millennium, alone in this world, _he was still alive_.

Kidd had not became king only by his brute force (surely one of the other dragons will far exceed him in that particular skill), nor was due to his brilliant mind or his strategic abilities. If Kidd was king, it was for his amazing willpower. That force was the one that, when his entire family had died, had allowed him to live and not to fall into the darkness.

Kidd remembered what had happened as if it had been yesterday. The memory would be forever etched in his mind as living fire, leaving a scar that would never heal.

His family, as the most powerful beasts in the world, had not expected the little humans to arm themselves with strange weapons and form a huge army to attack them. They had been unaware in their peaceful world where everyone seemed to worship them for who they were, for the wisdom, for their protection. When these creatures, new in the world, with hardly society and those rudimentary weapons, suddenly had turned against them for no apparent reason, his family had not known how to react.

His father had tried to negotiate before being stabbed by thousands of weapons, his mother, the clever woman, had shouted at him to run while the army bore down on her, his cousins, and uncles, all of them much bigger than him who had been just a puppy of a few centuries of history. Kidd had seen it all from the sky, with his small wings barely holding him and Killer, he had seen his entire family perished one after the other. He had felt his connections with his own people snapping in his mind, leaving him completely alone in the world. Kidd had cried, had cried when his mother's life had disappeared from his mind, removing that protective mantle that he had always felt around him.

Kid had felt his own life breaking when the last connection was taken away and his entire clan succumbed. That he had not died that day had been because Killer had been screaming to get out of there, that his mind had not fallen into the void, that his soul had not tried to chase his family into the abyss, it had been because of the simple idea of revenge.

A dragon was one of the most sensitive creatures in the world, they felt every alteration of magic, they understood each creature living in the world, helped Gaia herself continue living. They had a connection to the world that no other creature had. That was why they flew in the skies and spitted magma hotter than the fire itself, and they had a connection with their family as they had with the land. And because of that they were also more vulnerable than other creatures. If they cut their wings they would die from sadness for not being able to cross the sky. If they lose their magic they would die out of desperation for not being able to communicate with the world.

And if you would destroy their family, no dragon could withstand the immense solitude that would suddenly surround them. If you killed the family you killed the creature. Not Gaia nor flying would be able to console a dragon who had lost his people, they are social, magical beings preyed on relationships with their clan, they needed connections in their mind to not fall into madness.

The years after the death of his family had been the worst in Kidd's life. The world simply seemed to become different, crueler, darker, and emptier around him. For several years, Kidd had neither slept, ate, nor dared to cross the sky. He had only lived alone with his worried friend while his mind was only able to focus on revenge.

Several decades later, he had returned to fly after years of hiding among woods and caves, training and growing, half of Europe had blazed up in flames. City after city, town after town, the entire continent had perished in the black history of the world. Until Kid was satisfied, until his soul was calm enough, Kidd hadn't stopped razing the old continent to ashes again. Gea protested in his mind, his wings ached after that impressive effort after years without using them, but with every new life that he took in his hands, the dragon could only feel his family finally sleeping in peace.

When his rage was satisfied, the young dragon knew he would not be the same anymore. He had survived thanks to his desire for revenge, by his willpower, but consequently, he had lost something tremendously important. He had practically lost himself in the madness of bloodlust and had become the worst monster that had ravaged the world. So, scared of himself and the strange beast that he was becoming, Kidd had stopped, while the black hole within his soul kept getting bigger and bigger, threatening to engulf him completely.

Kidd then took refuge in his cave and left the world. Occasionally he went hunting or robbing those humans who never seemed extinct. During the following centuries Kidd embraced the solitude that had been imposed into him and only watched as his own race perished at the hands of humanity. Legends about the magical powers of his blood and bones began to circulate. Humans were seeking them to finish them. To achieve immortality. To get the glory.

Civilizations passed before the eyes of the old dragon, of the thousands that had belonged to his race, were now only a handful of leaders left with some other young dragons at their care. Kidd became the king of an almost extinct race, he was the one who had survived, who had managed to go ahead after the worst tragedy. The rest of solitary dragons regarded him with respect and the slight curiosity of one who knows that he might be the next to lose his own people.

Kidd simply waited for death, the end of times, and the annihilation of his own comrades.

Until Law had appeared.

Law had filled the void, the exorcist had given him a life he had forgotten he had lost, and Kidd had just felt his mind coming back until he was back to being who he had once been. Just by looking at Law that first time on the square, fighting, Kidd had felt the first emotion after centuries of indifference. Curiosity and anger had arisen in his chest (almost choking him with its intensity), before Law had stabbed him with his cursed sword.

That's why he should recover Law and return him to life. Because if he lost him, Kidd knew he would not stand to slip back into the solitude for a second time. This time he would follow his mate to the other world.

When Killer finally stood before a heavy door at the right center of the catacombs, sculpted with strange inscriptions and forgotten languages, Kidd took a deep breath, trying to calm his mind.

On the other side of the door was the conclave. On the other side were the last dragons left in this world, those who, like him, had survived years of extinction. They were the best, the last family, his last friends.

They waited for their king.

.

.

.

When Kidd entered the room, the chaos that received him was the same as ever. The seven dragons were the oldest and most powerful creatures in the world, many feared them and sought their wisdom, but that didn't mean they got along with each other. Rather, it was the opposite; Kidd could barely stand half of them.

Ignoring the current fight, Kidd walked into the huge stone hall.

The room, a perfect circle of polished gray stone, was immense, seven dragons could be transformed in there and their wings wouldn't even caress the high ceilings. The room possessed carved reliefs on the walls, representing their race, the seven banners with their heraldics hanging on the walls in the seven corners of the table, and even the columns supporting the ceiling were carved statues of kings of old kingdoms.

The windows at the high top of the huge dome barely let in the rays of dawn and they fell on the people, illuminating the accumulated dust in the old room with a solemn air. Some small stone steps went down from the largest and outside part of the hall to a lower stone circle, where the huge dark wood table with seven seats was placed, with a world map with the seven continents drawn on it.

There were several rooms like this scattered throughout the world. Council halls and palaces where the leaders of their race could meet. Those rooms had been built centuries ago when the creatures could travel the world without the fear of being persecuted by the humans, where they could meet with the heads of the clans and develop strategies and plans. They were sacred places where only a chosen few could enter, but now they had fallen into oblivion or collapsed with no one to look after them.

Kidd wordlessly walked down the small steps, making the sound of his footsteps echo within the gigantic hall. The red-headed dragon felt all eyes of the people gathered there fixing on him, every king with his most loyal right hand, some surprised, others horrified or worried. The redhead knew how he looked, the image that he was giving off. God, he had not even had a bath since he had left home. His clothing was torn and tattered, dried blood covering his hands after fighting with the bracelets and Kidd knew that even his gaze and expression had a sinister tone.

Kidd walked around the table, ignoring the sudden silence and looks of the already seated kings and their seconds in command standing outside the circle of stone. Without saying the slightest word, Kidd arrived at his seat under the gaze of an old stone king, and, moving the chair with a kick, he sat on his throne. Without showing the slightest respect, he put his feet on the beautiful wooden table and folded his arms like a challenged to the other kings to say something about his appearance.

They were all different, each had their problems, their culture and traditions, yet all were equal. All strove to preserve and protect their own people, all tried to survive and continue with a race which for centuries had dominated the world.

Kidd looked at the other kings, feeling his own soul relax at last by being in the presence of people like him. His brothers.

"Why have you called us Kidd?" Marco then asked, the youngest of them all and one of the few people Kidd could stand.

Marco, the last golden dragon in the world, had dominated the far Australian continent just for five centuries. However, from the beginning he had earned the respect of other members of the conclave, it has been centuries since Australia had not have the slightest problem and that land was famous for the peace that dominated the place.

Kidd clenched his fists, organizing his ideas as he watched the other members.

Boa Hancock, Empress of Asia, glared him from one side of the table with a hateful glare. As usual. Meanwhile, Shanks, on the opposite side of the table, just smiled happily at him, giving him silent support. To the annoyance of Kidd, the old American dragon had decided to adopt him since he had lost his parents, and since then, Kidd had been unable to shake the other from his back. Every time the old dragon saw him, Shanks asked if he would join his clan, asked if he ate and slept enough, like a worried mother he messes his hair, making Kidd's blood boil.

If he hadn't dismembered the man yet it had been thanks to Killer and Ben, the second in command of the American continent, who clearly seemed to have more brain than his boss.

The three remaining components of the conclave were Dragon (extremely unoriginal name for a dragon), who dominated the African continent with his clan and his three sons; and Jimbei, who reigned over Atlantis, the old continent that the dragon himself had ordered to hide in the depths of the sea to protect their people from the plague of humans.

The seventh seat, as always, was empty.

Kidd didn't even know why they kept inviting this man to the conclaves when he never appeared. Kidd had never seen the seventh dragon leader after millennia of existence and, honestly, he was starting to even question his whole existence or usefulness in this kind of things.

But deep down, this was not the problem. The problem now was to annihilate the order of exorcists, the Vatican and even Italy if needed, and save Law.

Kidd, unable to sit still, rose from his seat despite just having sat himself, and frustrated passed a hand through his hair as he paced around the room. How would he manage to persuade them to ally themselves with him? How would he convince them to fight for his cause? He was the king of that room, technically he gave the orders, but that didn't mean that the others were to obey him.

Perhaps it would be best to start at the beginning.

"As you know, our race has been persecuted and annihilated for generations by the humans" he began in order as he faced the other five with a serious face "for years, we have seen the world we knew disappear to be replaced by this atrocity that many call civilization. We have seen our families and our friends perish under torture, while humans slowly kept taking the control"

Kidd watched the other five attitudes instantly change at his words, he saw their bodies stiffen, saw their eyes become dangerous as the air of the room itself was charged with tension. Yes, that was a good tactic, every single one of the present dragons, had lost a family member because of humans, everyone had known tragedy and suffered loneliness. Everyone had a horrible thing in common, and Kidd would not hesitate to take advantage of it if that managed to save Law.

"I have called you here because it's time to end this. There is a limit that no species should exceed, and humans had crossed it long ago" he finally sentenced, looking at all the intense faces, momentarily believing that this would be easy.

His dream did not last long.

"Why now?" Dragon asked however, with that intelligent look totally fixed on him. As if trying to find the reason behind his words, as if trying to see through his soul.

"Yes, why now?" followed Boa, taking the opposite side from him in a discussion as always "Why not three centuries ago when humans practically ended the vampire race in less than three years?"

Kidd closed his eyes and sighed. It was clear that they would not fall for any motivational or vindictive he told them. They were leaders. They need a compelling reason to mobilize armies and sacrifice lives. They would not stand and fight only because Kidd told them so, suddenly, he wanted to annihilate humans.

But Kidd didn't know if his true motives would convince them.

The redhead had wanted to avoid the subject, and didn't know how the others would react. If he told his personal motivation many would call him selfish and would refuse to help him. But deep down Kidd knew that if he didn't tell them the truth it wouldn't be fair, and if he had sworn something since he had met Law, it was that, from now on, he would be someone exemplary, someone of whom Law could be proud of.

"They captured my mate" sentenced Kidd finally, seeing how the other dragon contained a surprised breath. Instantly understanding what that meant for a dragon "and while trying to rescue him, I found, here in Rome, an organization whose sole purpose is to exterminate us".

Silence flooded the room again.

"W-what do you mean?" Asked Boa, suddenly pale.

Organizations like the Vatican, had been frequent in China. Human emperors had longed for their power, and had not hesitated to encourage fanaticism to get the magical bones and scales which are then used to prepare their potions of immortality. The Empress herself bore the mark of one of those horrible organizations seared on the back, and Kidd knew that the whole adoptive family of this woman had been killed at the hands of fanatics.

That subject was taboo among her people, as very few had survived.

So Kidd had the duty to tell the tale. Everyone needed to know the enemy they were facing, to defend themselves and avoid a disaster. For tragedies not to repeat again.

So Kidd started talking.

Kidd told them the whole story, without omitting the smallest detail. Since the kidnapping and how he had panicked, to the fateful words of Doflamingo. Kidd told them about what they had done to his partner in a choked voice; he explained Akainu's plans to establish rehabilitation as something mandatory in the order, and their plans to take over the world.

Kidd spoke to them of hatred, fanaticism, and, as his words reached the ears of others, he started seeing how serious faces changed into horrified ones. Dragon, always stoic and without the slightest emotion, now clenched his fists and his eyes burned with black fire. The black dragon had lost his own partner in a similar manner some centuries ago, but if he was still alive it was because of his children he had fought for.

Kidd knew his story was reopening old wounds, knew that many still hadn't even recovered from the old ones. But he couldn't stop. In this story not only he and Law were the ones who were at stake. But races, entire civilizations could perish. The human race was beginning to destroy itself in its ambition.

Kidd needed to tell their story, he needed others to listen to him and understand the danger.

A long time later, Kidd collapsed on the throne, totally exhausted. A tense and dangerous silence filled the room while Kidd felt his whole body shaking after the events of recent days and recalling everything that had happened. He needed to rest, but he refused to do so.

For a moment Kidd returned to watch the faces of his brothers who were clearly now mired in their own dark thoughts after his story. Kidd knew that the story was quite difficult to assimilate. There had been organizations like the Vatican before but never one so militarized and with so much power, never one that could reach every corner of the world without the slightest problem. There had never been many who had wanted to conquer the world, but never one so fanatical to approve the sacrifice of his own people in order to win it.

For many of them this news would be a blow. But Kidd could not stop now, Kidd needed support and help in this. Otherwise, the fighting would be stupid; otherwise he would lose Law.

Repositioning in the chair and trying to have a minimum of pride and power despite the clearly shattered appearance he had, Kidd repeated his request.

"As you will understand, I just can't finish them alone, and since the Vatican is an organization that reaches around the world it's a problem that concerns us all" Kidd went on "... So, would you help me destroy the Order?"

Kidd then waited for the screams, fights, the others to call him arrogant. Kidd waited for Boa, still traumatized by what had happened, to retreat, he waited for the rest ignoring him, or even for Shanks to ruffle his hair again as a young child with too much imagination.

Surprisingly, the result was totally different.

"What's the plan?" was all Boa asked with a gaze so full of hate as the one the rest of the dragons had.

.

.

.

That night, chaos erupted in Rome. The old city, center of the European civilization woke in panic while creatures from the most terrible nightmares plied the skies and streets, destroying everything in their path.

People of every social class and status ran through the streets among the famous palaces and churches, trying to save themselves from the tragedy. Believing they were living a terrible dream while with hair covered creatures with fangs and red eyes were pursuing them. The fire quickly rose between old houses and lit the sky with a sinister light and even in the famous river the water seemed to turn red from the horror that the city suddenly suffered.

No matter where they ran, terror was in every corner. From above, terrible beasts with bodies covered in shiny scales, spewed lava onto the streets. Down in the city, huge stone trolls, elves and monsters of all kinds, from medusas to harpies, chased people while killing anyone who crossed their path with a strange satisfaction. Even the famous fountains of the city were suddenly filled with mermaids singing sinister songs that caused the death of anyone who approached.

The attack had been sudden, instantaneous, at one moment the city had been sleeping peacefully and at the next, screams of terror flooded the streets. They had not had time to prepare, and even when they had finally got ready to flee, people just remained paralyzed, watching legendary monsters destroying one of the largest cities in the world.

Houses collapsed, the catacombs let out the ghosts specters of the dead, chasing passersby with shouts for revenge. It was as if hell itself had suddenly unleashed in the most sacred city in the world.

Then the exorcists came.

From the famous cathedral in the city, rivers and rivers of exorcists dressed in the same uniform, looking concentrated and with weapons in hand, scattered through the streets of the city. People quickly cheered and cried in relief when seeing them, and without hesitation, the order ran to help them, using their spells and saving children from the clutches of the terrible monsters.

For a moment the tide seemed to turn and Rome regained hope. But they quickly realized that the fight would not be easy, because for every new monster destroyed by an exorcist three new seemed to appear. No matter what they did, no mattered how much they fought, the number of creatures seemed endless.

Slowly the streets began to fill with lifeless bodies of both humans and horrible beasts. Ruins of houses and churches scattered all over the place as people sought refuge with exorcists in small houses that seemed to stand a little more.

Dragons were destroying whole streets with just a breath of fire, small palaces that still resisted the flames trembled precariously with each new blow and, as the night wore on, people began to realize that this could be their last night on earth.

Exorcists began to tire, they had trained their whole life to fight monsters, but they had never expected a war of this kind. They had never faced so many at once, never as different beings. Everyone knew that their magic had a limit, that their body only had just a determinate force, but the monsters' ones seemed simply immense.

Frightened, in those dark hours, both citizens and exorcists themselves looked to the Vatican. At the headquarters of Christianity, at the high command of the place, waiting for a miracle, for something that put them out of the nightmare that seemed endless.

From his window, Akainu watched the show, frowning with anger in his veins. When the dragon had declared war, he had thought it was a joke. But he had clearly underestimated his enemy.

The redhead had not only called an army from scratch, as if those monsters had already been in the city, in the shadows and under their noses waiting for the perfect time to attack; no, the redhead was even winning the battle.

Akainu watched the red dragon flying over the capital of his empire with the firelight illuminating his body like an angel of the apocalypse. Beside him flew five dragons he had never heard of, along with gargoyles harpies and other gruesome monsters.

Akainu clenched his fists, feeling his blood boil to see another exorcist perishing in the street by a pathetic bunch of vampires. The blame for this was on the dragon. One of those despicable creatures that was destroying his plans and his entire empire.

He was going to kill him.

Akainu no longer needed him for anything. If he didn't obey, he would die, if he didn't submit, he would destroy him to make an example of him to everyone of his race. So that everyone would see what would happen if they stood in his way, if they dared to rise against him.

"What do we do sir? They are destroying the city, people are dying, we …"

Akainu turned and crossed the face of the Pope of Rome itself with a slap. Benedict XIV fell to the ground looking at him with terror, but Akainu ignored him; the man was another of his puppets, another man he could manipulate at will without problem. He could rape him if he wanted and no one would say anything.

Crossing his office with long strides, the general went to an exorcist standing guard at the door, who also watched the scene in the streets with horror. He was the one from the last time. Ace. Without the slightest respect, Akainu grabbed his neck, and, in the most intimidating and authoritative voice that he could put on, he ordered "Call Vegapunk and Blackbeard" he murmured low, practically throwing the exorcist out of the room.

He would not lose. He refused to do so. If the dragon wanted a war, Akainu would give him a war, he would end his friends, his family, and all the people he loved. He would show him what happened when someone rose up against him and refusing to submit. He was going to torture him, slowly and painfully, until it was the beast itself who was begging him to be killed.

Coming back to the window after hearing the boy with freckles run away, scared, Akainu watched the show on the road, while the Pope trembled, still on the floor and almost about to cry. Beside him, sitting in a chair that also overlooked the window, his beloved grandson was sharpening his sword. Slowly, with a steady hand, watching the scene and atrocities in the city without the slightest emotion.

Law had really become someone perfect.

Unavoidably, Akainu looked up to where the dragon was flying without being able to penetrate the magical barriers of the Vatican, and smiled.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, Dragon is a dragon; sorry I had to make the joke, it was just there and…well, don't blame me, I'm human too.
> 
> Also, for the ones who don't know it, Gaia is a Greek god, but she was also used in another few mythologies as the Celtic ones (Druids made rituals for her) and the Turkish one (Cibeles). She is not the god of the earth, she is the earth itself, nature, that's why ancient cultures had such an ecologic mind, and protected living creatures so much, they were all connected and created by Gea, the great mother.
> 
> Well hope you liked it.


	24. Betrayal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we are again, the final part, this chapter it's not very interesting but as always it's necesary, just need to explain a few things and change others, in any case, hope you al like it, and as always, thanks to my dear beta who has gone far away from me. T^T

Doflamingo observed the sky lit with the fire of hell that night, he watched people being killed in the cruelest way possible, and watched the slaughter that was being committed in Rome, one of the cradles of the most important civilization in the world. Quietly, and with several exorcists and captains of the guard around him, the blond man could only sit still as he watched his comrades die in the streets full of monsters, without the high command of the order deigning to do anything but order them to fight a situation for which they had not been prepared.

Around him many exorcists murmured indignantly, the reeducation of Law had already raised suspicion and disgust among the ranks of the order, many had already begun to question Akainu and his methods, and with this, the perception that people had of the man was not improving. The old commander was slowly digging his own grave without realizing, distracted by his desire for power and his absurd greed.

But that was not the problem now, the real battle was being fought on the streets of the city right now, and also inside Doflamingo.

The blond debated whether to go out and help this majestic creatures that were wreaking havoc in the streets of his hometown - if he had to fight to save his people and to end the madness, even if this meant to stop his own boss who threatened to slaughter mankind - or stay in his position, accepting the code and trying to defend a life that had already cost the lives of his brother and his nephew.

In the back of his mind Doflamingo knew his duty as a human being was to go out and fight together with those creatures for the future of their own species to annihilate Akainu and his plans. Every emotion of his body screamed at him to come out and defend what deserved to be defended. But he was afraid. Deep down Doflamingo was afraid to return to risk and lose everything again. What if these creatures lost? Who would protect the world from the monster that was their commander? What would happen if, as Doflamingo himself thought, they could not save Law? Could he bear again losing a loved one?

Doflamingo observed another rain of fire falling in front of the window, extinguishing another couple of exorcists. A young boy who he had trained just a week ago, and a girl who was not even yet exorcist, but a mere apprentice barely passing the tests. Two lives, full of laughter, joy and thousands of opportunities, two lives that had crossed with his own for a moment, disappearing in nothingness.

Doflamingo felt anger, hatred and frustration, but curiously those emotions were not directed to the monster who had launched the attack, but at the man who had let that happen. Akainu, as always, was to blame.

The young soldier at his side began to tremble when seeing the tragedy and quickly he knelt on the floor and began to pray. As if that would help them, Doflamingo thought sarcastically. God had never helped them, why would he do it now? Why save the order when they deserved what was happening to them after years of uncontrolled slaughter against other creatures? No, God was not going to help, the only people who could help them were themselves.

That was the key. That was what he should do. It was time to break the rules.

Turning around with a determined mind and curiously, at peace, Doflamingo walked straight to the door. He had to fight for the only thing left in his life, for Law. If he died, he preferred to do it that way, protecting his family and his people, doing what was right.

It was time to reveal and face reality.

A hand closed around his wrist stopping his advance halfway through the crowded room. Doflamingo then slightly turned his gaze, knowing who it was and feeling terribly offended for him to even dare trying to stop him. This entire problem had started thanks to the stupid jealousy Smoker who, now, once again, refused a small favor to a person that needed it.

"Where are you going?" asked Smoker, loudly and with a clear voice in the silence of the room, making many of those present turn to watch the scene, and clearly trying to mutely intimidate Doflamingo with the pressure of several pairs of eyes upon him "We've been told to stay here"

Doflamingo, utterly pissed, frowned even more. Maybe the man was a captain of the order; he may be strong and intelligent. But Doflamingo was stronger and smarter than him, that's why he was a lieutenant and not merely a captain as the white-haired man. But still, the other thought that he could stand in his path, he even dared to stop him. Doflamingo was getting sick.

Since they had returned, Doflamingo had wanted to punch his face several times, now, he didn't know whether he would be able to hold back.

"I'm going to go out to join the enemy's army" he said anyway raising instantly complaints and protest of indignation among the other exorcists, as the thought he was betraying them "I'm to fight against Akainu and try to save this organization before it kills us"

A tense silence quickly rose in the room, again the same subject, again the same questions. Several pairs of exorcists looked at each other thinking back to the main problem that, for thousands of years, had assaulted a member of the order: submit or die. They could submit, they could follow the code, could accept rules that deep down they all knew were wrong. Or they could fight, they could rebel against the old rules, they could be the first voice that shouted against the old institution and ask for a reform, a change of the dogma, a rebirth.

The only difference between the revolution now and before was that, now, if they spoke and expressed their opinion, no one would try to silence them or kill them for it. The difference now was that they were at war, one of the biggest crises that the order had ever faced. If they had a chance, it was this one, and everyone knew it. Doflamingo saw their eyes shining, with the absurd code clearly broken and the desire to stand up and fight for their own rights.

Still, as always, to change habits and confront a new situation was complicated.

"Don't say stupid things" repeated the white-haired man glaring at Doflamingo with hatred, as if blaming him for even voice what everyone thought "now is not the time for this nonsense, we have dragons massacring our city right now, we must fight and protect us, not start a stupid revolution"

Several pairs of eyes remained fixed on them and Doflamingo finally recognized what was going on. A fight between the old and the new school, between duty and conscience. It was a fight that was fought in the minds of all exorcists present.

"You're wrong, now is precisely the time to react, it is time to show them how outdated they are" Doflamingo continued "the monsters are attacking us, yeah, but they are not annihilating us as we have been doing with them for centuries, they are doing it in self-defense, in revenge for what we did to them, we earned all this"

Around him, several exorcists looked around frowning and nervous All had been witnesses and accomplices of the cruelty that had existed between these walls. Many have had to kill creatures with the appearance of innocent children, had annihilated clans, families, and everything for following the orders that a man dictated and millenarian rules.

Doflamingo knew all exorcists had regrets on their consciences after the death of some creature, everyone had a weak point. Some of them even tormented Doflamingo himself.

"And what are you going to do? Betray your own race for the horrible monsters from out there? For these atrocities? Are you going to ally with monsters that want to kill you? Admit it, you're just doing this for the rancor that you have against Akainu for killing your brother the traitor" Smoker kept insisting, without surrendering, pulling at the ropes without any mercy.

Doflamingo clenched his fists remembering his twin. Smoker was attacking him where it hurt, but he would not budge. He had tried to help the man since he had entered the order under his supervision, but clearly Smoker was already far away from salvation. Fear and despair tormented him, they didn't let him see the reality, the white-haired man had taken refuge in the cold code as a barrier since he had been a child, he had accepted the code to correct his own _deviations_ that many had labeled as a disgusting, and clearly, it was impossible to help him with his problems.

"I'm not betraying my race" said Doflamingo trying still to reason "l'm saving it from destroying itself, or what do you think Akainu will do if he wins the war? After that, for the first time in history, the reeducation had worked? After he gains the support of the elderly who will be terrified after what is happening today? Akainu won't take long to implement the re-education for all exorcists"

The murmurs and complaints again rose around him. No sane exorcist approved of that method, no one wanted to lose his personality or essence, no one wanted to die and become killing machine, and also, all of them still remembered the ninety-nine percent of the cases that had failed.

"So what? If that's what's required from me, I will do it" Smoker said showing that he had lost his head "I'll die for my race and my people, I will do it"

Doflamingo looked at him with disgust and shame.

"I wish you would come to your senses before dying stupidly" said the blond man finally turning around and heading for the exit again.

He wasn't going to waste more time with a fanatic, Kidd needed his help to save Law, if the other exorcists decided to follow him or stay with the white-haired man was not his problem. The blond took two long steps on the room and they echoed on the floor as a prelude. The room was immerged in shadows with the only illumination coming from the burning city behind the windows.

Doflamingo didn't expect anyone to follow him, he didn't expect that after years of suffering and brainwashing, people would suddenly change their mind after a little talk. However, when he was about to leave the room, he was again intercepted by a third party.

Standing at his side, with his arms crossed, and a determined look in that expressionless face he always had, Penguin, Law's former partner, finally let out the words Doflamingo needed to hear, giving the blonde back the faith in his own people.

"I'm going with you" sentenced the boy with the strange hat.

Instantly, it was like the trigger for the rest ones. Half of the exorcists in the room, carrying angry and determined looks, approached him and releasing similar messages. Doflamingo then realized how little had the teachings of the code spread in each of them, how much pain and suffering they had been taught, and how well they had learned to pretend to follow the code and hide his true emotions.

Doflamingo realized then that the code was a lie, a mask behind which to shelter and survive. The real code had never existed.

"I'm going with you" Zoro said, a boy with green hair Doflamingo knew also shared friendship with Law and who was one of the best soldiers of the order, an example for all to follow.

"Me too" Said Ace, the freckled boy who Akainu was terrorizing for amusement.

Slowly, one by one, exorcist after exorcist abandoned the farce, the stupid rules and ideals that others had imposed on them, to follow their own ones. When Doflamingo left the room, inside just Smoker remained along with a handful of other people too terrified to open her eyes.

Doflamingo felt his hopes come back slowly. There was hope as Kidd had said. Now the only problem was to convince the dragons they weren't their enemies anymore.

.

.

.

Blackbeard sat at the small table in the office, waiting for the other two men. The war that raged outside the walls made the room shake on its foundations, and the thousands of decorations that were exhibited there, fall to the ground and break into a thousand pieces. Vases of such a value that could feed whole cities, pictures of famous painters and even books and old treaties fell to the ground to break and shatter irretrievably. Almost like a parody of what was happening in the Vatican.

Blackbeard sighed again and tilted the bottle in his hand to take another long sip of the cheap wine it contained, his fingers pounded on the table with an impatient rhythm, making the heavy gold rings on his fingers tinkle with each other and further riling him.

Another small explosion sounded in the building, making the table where he was leaning tremble and the glasses precipitate to the floor, and Teach, angrily, threw the bottle against an old Tiziano right in front of his chair. He hated waiting. Especially he hated waiting when outside people were fighting a war. He was a man of action, he liked to subdue, kill and see those strange creatures writhing at his feet with his eyes fraught with terror. It was the only thing he served for, the only thing he has been born to do.

Unfortunately, his ability to kill those beings and together with his lack of compassion and his absurd ambition, had earned him the position in the order next to the commander, his right hand.

Blackbeard had craved the position for the power it had, for the freedom it granted and the wealth and prestige.

Unfortunately along with the position came the bureaucracy.

Teach hated those meetings along with the other two leaders, Akainu, the supreme commander of the order, was a fanatic in love with himself, and Vegapunk, his left hand, was a strange man he couldn't read. Blackbeard hated those two, but as the third pillar of the organization he couldn't just kill them. They three were the three legs of the table, the three of them had the same power and the same intelligence and ambition, they could not simply kill each other, it would be a suicide in every way.

So Blackbeard waited in the deserted room littered with artworks and a single table for the other two to arrive and solve one of the biggest crises in the history of the order. Blackbeard waited for Akainu who had been elected commander by dirty methods several years ago, to give him permission to do what he liked best: Murdering monsters without the slightest regret.

When the room's door finally opened and three figures entered the place with a slow and steady pace, the fat and greasy haired man, almost started laughing happily.

At last.

Vegapunk, who as always was covered from head to toe in white robes, wool scarves and gray glasses hiding his identity, sat in front of him without a word. His posture was upright and perfect, like a machine without the slightest defect, his white tunic was immaculate, and he was wearing the emblem of exorcists as well as his own one embroidered on the chest. Vegapunk was the head of the scientific branch of the order, one formed by several scientists of strange reputation and, as the best scientist of all them, the man was just aseptic and met the code to perfection, he never raised his voice more than necessary and his words always lacked the slightest emotion.

Vegapunk was the opposite of him in every way. Blackbeard was guided by brute force, instinct and emotions that he could barely suppress enough as required by code. Vegapunk instead made decisions based on logical reasoning, after a deep meditation and study, but never used force, and since he had known him, Teach had never seen him even smile.

They were the two opposites, the two sides of the coin. Akainu however was the center. Circling around the long rectangular table, the old commander took his place in the center, carefully, looking at them both for a moment and ignoring the earthquakes that shook the building and everything that was inside, like a lion taking his throne, knowing that there was nothing that could stand in his way.

The third figure that had entered the gate stood behind the commander, guarding, protecting him. Trafalgar Law, the new legend of the order, made Teach's skin crawl with just a glance.

Teach knew the boy. He had been the one who, twenty years ago, had led a brigade to an isolated village in Finland, near the edge of the Arctic Circle in the most remote region of the world, to find Akainu's son and traitor to the order. It had been him who, in the middle of the night, had attacked the small wooden house far away from the village and had killed the father and the boy's pregnant mother.

Blackbeard still remembered the screams of that night, still remembered the woman squirming, trying to protect the child, the blood, the cries of a six year old boy. That massacre was the only one that weighed on Blackbeard's mind. The only one he regret. He killed monsters, nightmares and creatures that deserved to die, however, when he had stabbed the chest of the woman kneeling on the floor, helpless, just protecting her children, Blackbeard had known what that night would become his personal nightmare.

One thing was killing of monsters, quite another was to kill innocent and defenseless people.

So he had been unable to kill the boy. Akainu's orders had been clear, annihilate the entire family, but after finishing with the parents, Teach had been unable to do the same with the boy in shock, crying and looking terrified at his parents bodies. None of his men had issued a complaint when Teach had spared the child and had taken him to Italy, disobeying the orders of the commander.

That night would be remembered by each and every one of his men, and would also serve as an example for the other exorcist if they thought of betraying the order.

That mission in the northern cold snow had cost him Akainu's trust, and he had made him pay his disobedience, but Teach had also learned how cruel the commander could be. Blackbeard had had trouble killing a woman he didn't know, but Akainu had not had the slightest hesitation in condemning _his_ entire family to death.

Since then Law had hated him. At first openly, he had even tried to kill him when he was a kid, but over the years, and after the code's teachings, he had learned to control himself. The look of hatred would always be present, but Blackbeard had learned to live with it.

Akainu had accepted reluctantly Law in the order then, Teach knew the commander had tried to kill him in training with Corazon, the worst of all instructors. The boy was a shame for Akainu, for his race, Law the son of a heretic, a traitor. But curiously, to Teach, the young boy had quickly become his redemption. He had killed the mother, yes, but at least he had managed to save the child. To watch him grow, to see him overcome the obstacles Akainu confronted him day after day, gave him a strange happiness, a strange pride. It made the nightmares and regrets disappear, he gave him a strange hope.

Or so it was until today, when he had finally seen the boy after the re-education. Now Akainu smiled proudly and he shook with terror.

The boy's eyes were completely empty. No hatred, no resentment or anything. They were simply empty. Dead.

Blackbeard felt the last human part that remained in him collapse before this latest discovery. That boy was the only thing that had kept the nightmares at bay, the boy had shown him that there could still be hope in the world. But the boy had now disappeared and was now only an empty shell. There was no hope, he no longer had anything worthwhile.

With a curious and calm resignation, Teach accepted and watched the world as it was for the first time in a long time, a black pit full of ambition and greed where all good things succumbed under the cloak of darkness. They had corrupted the world. When humans had arrived with their lust for power and his stupid arrogance, they had annihilated their enemies as they had destroyed everything good in this world.

Blackbeard suddenly felt empty inside. Cold, too cold.

"I have congregate you here to treat the problem that, as you can see, is ravaging our city" Akainu started without realizing what was going through the mind of his subordinate.

Vegapunk as usual made no comment, the man always remained silent unless someone demanded a specific answer from him or the man himself decided he needed to say something important.

Blackbeard didn't speak too, although for other reasons.

"We need to quickly develop a strategy to contain the creatures and keep safe our heritage before the damage will be irreparable" the old man continued opening a detailed map of Rome on the table and showing it to the other two "currently they have besieged the city. Several messengers have told me that escape routes by sea and by land have been destroyed, so we cannot ask for help from our neighbors in Florence or Naples ... we had planned to use the new weapons you designed the other day in the Pliazza di Spagna and Navona where it seems that the fights are at the peak..."

"The weapons aren't ready" quickly commented Vegapunk referring to arms.

Akainu just smiled even more satisfied.

"Better this way, I would like to see what they are capable of doing when a bomb explode in their faces"

Blackbeard couldn't even laugh as he usually did when imagining those monsters flying through the air halved and spraying the stairways and plazas with blood and screams. Blackbeard was alone in a strange state of shock after watching Law, the other two were discussing battle plans and Blackbeard just listened to them without really paying attention.

It wasn't as if his intelligence was needed for that debate, he was the hand that gave the blow, not the brain that thought where and when to throw it. For years he had conformed to only obeying orders and rejoicing in the suffering of others. Maybe he should have changed his mind before, maybe he should have prevented the slaughter that was happening now. But now, without a dam that contained it, everything was coming on him.

For hours the other two discussed plans of attacks and thousand strategies alone in the room with high ceilings and large windows, lit with the fire of Rome burning. Both went over the map on the huge table, charting thousand strategies, a thousand plans against ferocious creatures.

Blackbeard remained silent, taking in everything he had done.

It was when his body was as paralyzed as his mind, that a loud bang took him out of his stupor. A messenger, not the usual freckled one, but a much thinner and stupid one that clearly would not survive long in the order, entered the room with a face of pure panic.

"What are you doing here? This is a secret meeting, I specifically tell the guards to not let anyone enter" Akainu began, rising from the table and turning to the boy with a clear murderous intent in his position. With Law instantly following after him.

Teach realized that the man was at his limits then, he had a cold rage with every step he took and in every gesture. Akainu was angry, his posture tense, his frown and even his tunic seemed more wrinkled than usual. Clearly he would not tolerate the slightest mistake in his plans after all that had happened. For a man so perfectionist, so obsessed, the declaration of war from the dragon and the subsequent brutal attack, should have been too much to handle.

"Sir, they are gone" said however the terrified boy, falling at the feet of the commander "The exorcists. Doflamingo has taken them with him" the boy cried hysterically "they want to ally with the monsters, said they don't accept your orders and methods"

Akainu's face was one that would terrify the devil himself. Again a failure in his plans, again disobedience, again control again disappearing into nothingness. Wordlessly, with the coldest tranquility of the world, Akainu lifted a hand and laid it on the head of the kneeling boy in tears, mumbling an old and forbidden spell.

The next moment the boy's brain was sprayed on the expensive velvet carpet with the emblem of the order embroidered in it. Then, quickly turning around, the old man crossed Trafalgar's face - who was still standing behind him - with a strong slap that made him back up several steps with the inertia.

"This is your fault" he whispered through clenched teeth "you corrupted the twins, you have brought disgrace to the order, you should have been killed when that idiot brought you here"

Law, several steps away, didn't release the slightest whimper, didn't grimace with pain as the skin of his cheek reddened instantly becoming a purple bruise. With a cold voice as ice, without the slightest emotion in his intonation, the boy just bowed apologetically before his commander.

"I'm sorry sir"

Blackbeard wanted to vomit, Vegapunk looked at the boy with fascination, meanwhile the pride that had been previously in Akainu's eyes quickly became hatred. As always blaming anyone but himself.

As always, making his grandson pay for his own errors, although the boy had not had anything to do with the problem.

 _Akainu had always hated Law_. What he represented: the rebellion, the freedom, and the honor. For what he was: the son of a traitor and his grandson. No matter how useful Law could be, no matter how much he had already tortured the boy, or how much he had already destroyed him. Blackbeard knew that for the commander it would never be enough.

Because Law had survived. One time after another. No matter what he did to him, Law kept walking steadily forward. Even now Law was alive after a certain death warrant.

Law has been the only flaw for several years in the life of the commander. The only incorrect pattern within his perfect plan, the only gear that refused to fit. Law had always revealed, had always reminded him of the weakness of his own flesh, and had always reminded him of his failure as a father. Akainu hated to fail, he hated not to control everything at will and, interestingly all that had been ruined lately was, in one way or another, related to that boy.

"When all this is over, when I have the world in my hand, I will entertain myself with slowly killing you" said Akainu softly, again raising a hand to stroke the reddened cheek of his grandson with a strange madness in his eyes "you and that dragon of yours"

Blackbeard had known for years that one day the boy would end up being killed by his obsessive grandfather. It was as clear as water. Blackbeard had hoped for the boy to kill Akainu sooner, for the boy to manage to escape the tricks of the old man, but unfortunately events had taken a much more macabre course.

"If that's you ask for Sir, I will end my life as you desire" he answered like a trained puppet without turning his face to get away from his grandfather's fingers that now scratched the delicate skin of his face, leaving angry bleeding red marks.

Akainu smiled maniacally as his blood covered hand lowered gently down the boy's neck, laughing at his response. The boy was a toy, what Akainu wanted him to be. No one could do anything to stop him.

Blackbeard was unable to continue watching the scene and finally had to look away.


	25. Doubts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So chapter 25, only 5 more to finish, it's so close, I'm gonna cry, I'm sure of it. In any case, guys?, why are you suddenly falling in love with Blackbeard?, he might have some little regrets, but he is still a murdered in love with blood and destruction, he will continue to kill beast and monster whether they are inocent or not. Don't be fooled!
> 
> In any case, there's an small surprise for some people in the chap (something happy), hope you like it. Also thanks to my awesome beta, have fun catching Pokemons in the states,

Dawn was breaking in the old city when Killer entered in Kidd's small room. The attack had stopped immediately with the first rays of sun as many creatures on their side couldn't bear the light, and it would be better to wait for the next night to attack again. It was better to let the enemy realize the casualties they have had and understand how smart it would be to surrender.

That's why orders had been clear and every creature had to come back again to their bases in the catacombs of Rome or to the old and abandoned buildings like the one where they were now. The intention was to regroup, heal the wounded, and prepare a new strategy. In a few minutes Kidd would face more meetings with the rest of the kings and Killer was slightly worried about his friend.

Killer came to the dusty bed where Kidd was sitting and holding his head between his hands. The old and vandalized room was on the top of a palace, abandoned to its fate for years. From the huge open balcony one could see all of Rome, the bright buildings now were smoking and dyeing red with the light of the sunrise and so did even the huge river that was crossing the city. The view was breathtaking now. Rome seemed almost like a haunted town with deserted streets and the deep silence after the roar of dragons who had crisscrossed the sky, destroying everything in their path. Even the bells of the thousands of churches and cathedrals didn't dare to break the sinister peace that had befallen the city.

Killer sighed restlessly and sat next to his friend on the bed. They needed new plans and new strategies. The first attack had been a success, but it had mainly been a show to terrorize exorcists and the crowd, demonstrating their power, doing amazing magic tricks that hadn't really been useful in battle.

The stark reality was that they would not be able to maintain that pace much longer, their troops could be terrible, but they also had plenty of weaknesses. The magic had its cost, spells, the songs of sirens or even the fire of demons needed an energy that was slowly being ebbed, vampires could not fight in the sun, the trolls were succumbing to their own stupidity, and even witches and banshees had their limits.

They couldn't prolong the attack, Killer knew that this conflict had to be finished in one or two days, and for that they needed a leader. However, what Killer saw next to him, on the dusty, shattered room was someone far away from resembling a leader.

Kidd was a mess, the blond knew the redhead had not even slept in the few hours that he had had between the attack and the upcoming meeting. Kidd had not even changed the clothes he had worn during the attack, and now he reeked of smoke and burned flesh. His black leather pants were sliced in various places and also the redhead's chest was exposed, dried blood and dirt covered his muscles, giving him a macabre aspect.

Killer understood the reason behind his friend's mood. He had been present when his friend had met his partner, he had seen the boy, had seen his eyes, heard the conversation, the old man bragging, and Law ignoring Kidd. Killer had seen the horror in the eyes of his friend.

Worried, Killer put an arm around Kidd's shoulders in an overprotective gesture, making the redhead's head fall on his shoulder. Kidd didn't say anything or tried to reject the contact, the family was too important at a time like this to miss that little moment of peace.

"What happened?" the blond asked, handing a small cloth wrapping a piece of wheat bread and some cheese he had found down in the kitchens to the redhead. Kidd needed to eat, and if Killer had to become his new mother, so be it.

Kidd took the food in his hands with resignation but made no move to eat it, nor did he try to answer Killer's question.

"It's Law?" Killer finally asked feeling his friend instantly stiffen and groan in pain after hearing the name.

Turning away from him, the redhead got up from bed and dragged his feet clad in the heavy military boots to the window with a mixture of suffering and exhaustion furrowing his face. Killer hated to see him like that, his companion had always been someone strong, stronger than anyone Killer had ever met. To see him so shredded was simply stirring something inside the blond. Kidd could not lose Law, but Killer could not lose Kidd a second time after finding him again, Kidd was his last family. He couldn't lose him again.

So he repeated the question, trying to help his friend, needing to help his brother.

"Kidd, what happened?" he insisted again, looking at the younger's profile silhouetted against the rays of dawn.

And Kidd finally collapsed with a resigned whimper.

"What if I fail to rescue him?" the redhead began, turning to look at his friend, riddled with suffering eyes and a shattered voice, with a defeated air around him that Killer could not bear "What if this all is useless? What if, when we rescue Law, he refuses to accept me? What if I can not bring him back?"

Killer watched the redhead lay against the wall and slide down into a sitting position on the floor with his hands pressed again over his soot covered face in a gesture of desperation. That was the image of a man completely finished, someone who didn't know what to fight for.

Killer then got up from the bed and went to his friend, kneeling in front of him on the dirty floor.

"Is that what you think?" he asked worried about the mental state of his friend. Losing a mate could be terrible, but to see the partner battered and lifeless in the hands of the enemy could be even worse. Kidd had survived the death of his family, but that didn't mean that the redhead could stand this too.

"I don't know what to believe anymore" Kidd continued without looking up from his knees "but maybe I'm killing thousands of our people, killing thousands of innocents souls in a selfish impulse that at the end would be just useless. The real Law wouldn't want me to annihilate a whole city in his name"

"So what? Are you going to surrender? Are you going to leave your partner without even trying?" He asked, trying to push Kidd.

Kidd roared menacingly and finally raised his head from his knees to look at him with hatred, Killer could not help smiling inwardly to see him finally react. They had done this thousands of times. One fell and the other helped him up, for outsiders, Killer might seem to be scolding, saying words too hard for a depressed man. But for them it was different, because for them, those words were the necessary push they needed to get up.

"And what am I supposed to do?!" Kidd nearly shouted at his friend still resisting to stand up "Should I kidnap him again!? Force him to stay with me even though he might hate me!?" He continued sinking more and more into his own hole, refusing to move forward.

Killer could not help it and slapped Kidd across the face, rolling his eyes. He would not let him surrender, he would not lose his people again for something so stupid. Kidd wanted to be dramatic and stubborn, well, so would Killer.

"You know exactly what you have to do" he hissed at Kidd coldly while the other's cheek reddened "you convinced him once, you can do so again"

'It's not the same, now he is no longer Law, now there is nothing inside him, now he just hates me" Kidd whimpered as his eyes flooded with contained tears when remembering his mate.

"From what you've told me, Law was also guarded with the code and you had to make him break his vows to truly met him" Killer continued, this time with a kind voice, not wanting to do more harm than necessary "for what you have told me, at first he hated you and you even tried to kill each other"

And then Killer finally saw it, a slight hope in the eyes of his friend, a small spark of joy when remembering what he had been through. All he had had to do at first to conquer the dark haired boy. Those words were the only light in this seemingly endless darkness. He could return to conquer Law, he could have him back. That was a reason to fight, a reason to lead his army.

Standing up from the floor, Killer held out a hand to help the redhead up too.

"Come on, we have things to do"

When Kidd took it and the blond helped him up, they hugged each other for a short time in a small sample of support and appreciation. Killer would do this sort of thing for his brother as many times as necessary, he would help him up, and give him the kick in the ass because, deep down, he knew that Kidd would do the same for him. Because that was what family was for.

Kidd had been alone for many years, Killer had given him space, but now he knew that maybe he had been wrong. He had missed Kidd, that's why he was not going to let him down again.

It was then, when both had an emotional moment, that a cough sounded behind them, causing both to separate instantly as if burned by the other. It would be difficult to maintain the image of a mighty king when they were caught hugging and almost crying.

Marco, at the door, with his arms crossed, watched them with an evil grin and a funny expression that promised them that he would remind them of this moment for a lifetime.

"Sorry to interrupt the _emotional_ moment" he said mockingly "but we have a group of exorcists in our door, waving white flags and saying that they want to join us"

Both looked at him confused.

"A man named Donquixote Doflamingo leads them" the blonde continued, shrugging at their incredulous looks and also clearly stunned himself with the weird message.

Kidd however couldn't help but smile at the name. Of course, he had almost forgotten Law's uncle, the man who had helped him. With the man at his side, knowing every secret of the order, perhaps finally they would get away without so much slaughter.

.

.

.

Ace was uncomfortable. For many and different reasons. The first one being the two dragons, standing in the middle of the huge stone room where all the kings had met to decide the strategy plan, and who had not stopped to roar at each other like lions fighting over a piece of meat.

Interestingly, the exorcists had managed to ally themselves with those creatures without the slightest problem. The redheaded man, Kidd, who was looking tired and with his body covered in bloodstains and who was now discussing with the other redhead, Shanks, had left a hours ago one of the buildings to meet the exorcist waving white flags on the street waiting for an answer from the beast to their alliance. Quickly, Kidd had embraced Donquixote, inviting everyone to join their cause as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

It was then that the most surreal moment in Ace's life had begun.

After entering in the ancient catacombs of the city that many considered cursed and haunted, the redhead, Kidd, had begun to introduce the exorcists to the rest of the clans of monsters gathered there. Ace had met the witches, women who your breath away just by looking at them, they had long black hair and wore provocative transparent clothes. Ace had met demons, creatures the church detested and that, at the end, had practically been the most normal creatures that Ace had met that night. When a man with blue skin covered with scales and a sticky mucus had shaken hands with him, Ace's mind had simply stopped working.

He was in a dream, that was the only explanation. A dream where, despite all that had happened, he was still alive, where Akainu had not killed him, and where creatures drawn from the purest imagination greeted him with a distrust face.

Ace knew that their presence in that place was not well received by everyone, one of the seven dragons, a man with black hair and a strange tattoo on his face had discussed long and passionate with Kidd when they had arrived, but for now, they seemed to be accepted. The aid was clearly welcome and after briefly explaining their motives, the monsters had accepted that they would now fight together.

After the tense presentations, all kings, along with Doflamingo who was too quiet and almost too much entertained for everyone's taste, had gathered around the huge wooden table in the huge room of stone with statues of ancient kings watching over them. And then the fight had started.

Ben, Shanks's second in command, had been wounded in the first battle. Hancock, the long-haired woman, had seen her mermaids and witches being practically raped, and even Jimbe, a strange man with blue skin that Ace was still trying to understand how he could be a dragon, had his problems. The three of them wanted to destroy Rome. Completely. They wanted to evacuate the city with their respective followers and eradicate a city they considered too corrupted. Destroy the problem's center. The problem was that they could really do it, as if they were gods, their combined magic would allow it smoothly.

Doflamingo, Kidd, and Marco, the only remaining golden dragon in the world, refused to do such atrocity. There were still things to do, to annihilate the city would not guarantee anything, the Vatican was protected by a thousand spells, they could survive while innocent people could die.

The shouting had begun some time later and now Kidd and Shanks seemed to be able to slice each others with claws and teeth in one of the most barbaric discussions that Ace had ever witnessed.

But that was not Ace's most immediate problem. The problem at hand that was driving Ace nuts, and that was making him lose focus on the dragon's meeting, was just one of those amazing dragons.

Marco, the ruler of the exotic Australian continent, was not taking his eyes off him.

Ace had thought to leave the place some time ago, but both, Zoro and Penguin beside him in the huge meeting place, had prevented him from doing so, claiming that this was important and he had to stay, but secretly enjoying his suffering. Ace hated his friends at that time, the meeting could be important, but so was his life, and for how the blond man was looking at him, it seemed that it wasn't going to last much longer.

Just after seeing him, the blond dragon who had been sitting in one of the chairs around the table with his feet flat on the dark wood, had risen from it as if struck by lightning, had crossed the room with a way too intense and intimidating stare, and had stopped in front of him, demanding his name. Ace, still stunned by everything that was happening, had giving it to him without consideration, had answered another thousand questions about himself the blonde creature had asked, and finally he had shaken hands with the man who had practically broken his hand with a strong and almost possessive grip. Then Marco, with a satisfied face, had returned to the table to sit with the rest of kings, without speaking to anyone else in the place, and since then he had continued to stare at him with intense blue eyes.

Zoro and Penguin had laughed at him then, had alluded to hundred stories of dragons eating human virgins and some other sexual comments that would have made many redden. Ace however, was starting to get slightly panicked.

"I will not destroy the city!" Kidd was still screaming in the room "My partner is still there" he screamed pounding on the table with his fist and nearly breaking it with rage.

"If you had enough balls you would have taken him from out of there already!" said the other redhead, rising from the table and glaring at the younger "Why didn't you attack the capitol yesterday? Why do you keep hiding? My men are dying for your vindictiveness, the least you could do is solve this quickly" roared back Shanks.

"What I do, or not do is not of your concern"

"You are our king, you should lead us, not let your people die"

"That's what I'm trying to do, asshole" Kidd roared again as the air practically burned around him "but if you have not noticed, you don't obey any of my orders and just do whatever you want"

"If your orders were coherent…"

When Marco got up from his chair, placing his hands on the table with a heavy blow, Ace could not help but jump scared and moved his hand instinctively to the gun on his hip, fully prepared to attack that disturbing man. When Marco roared in the room, loud and strong, making the roofs shake and the rest of the attendees shut up, Ace paled.

Of course, Penguin, as the _good_ friend he was, quickly gave him a light punch in the ribs, forcing him to relax and added a "Just imagine how it could be in bed"

Zoro broke into silent laughter beside him as Ace unavoidably reddened again to the ears. _Sometimes he hated his friends_. Still, Penguin was not half as subtle as Law had been, Ace remembered how the tanned tattooed man could made him blush for weeks with only a comment. It was the worst being the youngest of the four, since he had entered the order and had made friends with the other three, they always had been picking on him.

Pissed to no end, Ace quickly gave a strong nudge at Penguin's ribs, causing him to crumple in half and also making Zoro laugh harder. Marco then looked back at him with that curious look that seemed to be torturing him in his mind in the most painful way.

"Shanks" Said then the blonde man with a low and hoarse voice that cut Ace's breath "We are not going to destroy the city, at least not yet"

"But ... " the redhead instantly complained.

"Shanks!" roared again Marco low and pissed "from the beginning we knew there would be casualties, you can't blame Kidd for something unavoidable, and now, if you are so kind to shallow your gigantic ego, I would like to discuss the next battle plan" finally said the blond man, crossing his arms and glaring at everyone present "I have more important things to do"

And again his sky blue eyes fell on Ace. Intensely, making him almost feel like a piece of meat about to be devoured by the older. How could anyone stare like that? How could anyone be so...attractive? Yes, definitely the golden dragon was attractive Ace had to recognize, with his sandy blond hair contrasting with the sun tanned skin, with that air of nobility and pure power surrounding him.

If Ace had not learned to control his emotions so well in recent years, surely now he would be redder than Kidd's hair, unable to hold that blue gaze that looked like the sky itself where the golden dragon had been flying the night before.

Then, as if the blond had read his thoughts, he smirked with a predatory look, with a killing grin that made Ace _really_ blush.

Ace realized then that both had become the center of attention. The whole room was watching them, some with confusion on their face, others with the faces of someone who knew what was happening. Like Kidd and Shanks. When the two red dragons understood what Marco was referring to, they both smiled conspiratorially, and clapped the blonde on the back, congratulating him with a laugh.

Ace, without understanding very well what was happening but knowing it had to do with him, looked away from the scene, feeling terribly mortified.

Thank God, the gates of the huge stone room were then opened, and a small elf, almost a child of that ancient race of the forests of northern Europe, runned to the dragon's table, puffing and carrying a small white envelope in his hand.

"A message," he said breathlessly in a suddenly silent and tense room "a message has arrived from the Vatican"

Instantly, Kidd approached the boy with long strides, took the envelope from his hands, broke the red stamp with the symbol of the old church, and read its contents with a desperate look. Ace liked the man, Ace had always worried about Law despite how cold and distant the other man used to be, and secretly thanked Kidd for having given Law a minimum of happiness after the horrible life he had lived in the Vatican. Ace thanked him even more for what he was doing now, for having opened their eyes and for fighting for them in a war that they should have begun themselves.

Ace knew that many of the other exorcist also thought the same. Maybe the dragon had been his enemy a few days before, but after seeing what he was doing for only one of their own, Ace knew that the dragon had won the unquestioning loyalty of all exorcists of the room without exception. Because, although the code banned it, they were all one big family, they helped each other and tried to survive in the cruel organization they had been forced to serve.

So when Kidd broke the note in his hands, and ran out of the room roaring, everyone gasped.

Cursing, all rushed to the exit, chasing their leader without the slightest doubt. Even Marco ignored him for a moment to chase his red-haired friend through the catacombs. Ace started breathing again when the blond left the room and could almost feel Penguin's smile spreading back on his face and his mouth open with another sarcastic comment.

Ace returned to stab the bastard with his elbow in the ribs, causing the other to let go a whimper of pain.

"Shut up" he hissed while Doflamingo rose from his own seat at the table and picked up the torn letter from the floor to read it.

Immediately the blonde old man began handing out orders.

No Exorcist had moved from his place in the room. They may had broken the code, but the old ways were hard to forget. Though perhaps at this time it was for the best. They were one of the best trained soldiers in history, they had been prepared for war and to obey any orders.

They would need to use that discipline one last time in the last battle.

.

.

.

The Pantheon had always been one of the most emblematic buildings of Rome, located right in the city center, the small temple built by the ancient Roman Empire, recalled with precision to the inhabitants of the metropolis, the power that it had once flaunted. That small temple, abandoned his fate for years to be later used as a Catholic church and as the tomb of the great figures of the city, was one of the best preserved works of that time of emperors and conquests.

And it was the most appropriate place to meet with their enemies.

The temple was a mixture of old and new, the old Roman structure decorated with frescoes and modern statues from the renaissance created by Bernini. The large dome rose to the sky overhead, leaving a large hole in its center through which a small ray of light entered that illuminated the place, a perfect circle covered with stone.

Akainu had chosen this place for several reasons, the main one because he knew that this place was a sacred place for both sides, the ancient Romans had a different religion where they prayed to supernatural and divine creatures, the ancestors of the monsters who they now wanted to eradicate. For the exorcists this was one of the shrines of Christianity, where pagan customs had been destroyed to create the actual pure religion. Secondly, the site was small, a place where the dragon would be unable to transform and attack them. The temple was also isolated in the middle of a square where it would be easy to defend.

His plan was perfect, after hours of discussion with Blackbeard and Vegapunk, they had failed to improve it more. With the letter he would allure the dragon into the place, there, the temple would prevent him to use his powers to the full, and then Law would deliver the final blow.

The leader of the creatures would fall then, the moral of the troops would disappear, and although another leader could rise, he would not be able to fight with the same force as they were doing now.

Cutting off the monster's head, the rest would perish.

Standing in front of the altar, with Blackbeard armed on his right and Law in a firm position to his left, Akainu observe the other three figures enter the deserted place between the high colonnaded entrance with firm and decisive steps.

Entering into their grave without even realizing it.

The dragon had taken the bait, of course he had, the message had been clear and concise in this regard, and although the man had brought companions to fight, the redhead was not going to get out alive from this place.

Stopping and facing each other, the six men stared at their enemy with hatred. Akainu reveled in the redhead's tired face, in his bare chest riddled with blood, and the obvious tension in his shoulders. Beside him, another man with blond long hair, held two strange swords at his sides and,on his left, Doflamingo the traitor crossed his arms in that arrogant pose Akainu already knew.

Akainu would personally see that Doflamingo would also die here.

The roars of hell and the shouts of his men could already be heard in the plaza outside. The fight was started again, but the old commander knew that it's course would be really decided within those walls. This was the last battle, and the gods were on their side this time.

Smiling, Akainu stepped forward and started the game.


	26. Decision

The great dome stood above them, dark and perfect, with the small skylight through which entered the golden light of the Roman dawn, making the room look like a perfect circle of light and shadow. There, in old times, had stood the towering statues of the pagan gods, the pantheon of gods, the creatures that humans had considered divine before turning against them. The building had been decorated centuries ago with precious paintings on the walls, with gold and marbles worthy of the greatest civilization the world had ever known. Oil lamps had illuminated the imposing statues with a strange glow that seemed to give them life in each ritual they had performed.

Now the old building instead seemed about to collapse. The walls were left bare of the ancient paintings to expose the cold gray stone beneath, the statues had been destroyed and replaced by crosses and tombs of legends that could hardly emulate those of the ancient gods decorated with the offerings of devotees. The Pantheon, the old home of the gods, had lost all its glory and turned into a common human temple, almost a silent mockery of what had also happened to them.

Maybe outside, his friends and his people were standing against the human race who tried to annihilate them, maybe, in some strange way, they would win this battle and recover again their place in the world. But Kidd had known for centuries that slowly they were losing the long-term war. Humans even have dared now to stand against them, the powerful creatures with divine powers. Centuries ago the priests would have returned Law to him as Kidd entered in the Vatican roaring, fearful that Kidd ended their lives. Before, they had been powerful, they have had the world in their hands.

But their ranks were dwindling, his magic was dying year after year, they were slowly dying one after another without them being able to do anything about it, for centuries no offspring has been born, for centuries many species had lost even their females or males and were slowly dying. It was as if the world was forgetting them, as if the old mother earth no longer needed their magic. They were losing power, they were losing control over the old and powerful spells, their culture that before had been riddled with ancient knowledge, was being extinguished like the smoke from a burned bonfire. Kidd's own race could already be counted with the fingers of a hand. They had once been gods, now there were only legends.

Kidd watched his own mate standing in enemy ranks, looking as if what they had shared together weeks ago had also been a legend to forget in order to face the harsh reality. The magic and life had also disappeared from his incredible gray eyes. Kidd had organized this war just for him, to save him, Kidd was making what little remained of his people perish in that unnecessary conflict, decimating their ranks even more and making them lose even more power, something he didn't even know if they would be able to recover.

Law may never return either.

But he couldn't surrender. As Killer had said, there was no other option, they had no other way to go, could not continue to allow the slaughter, they needed to regain their place. This war would be his farewell letter if they died in the attack, his farewell to the world that had created them and tortured them for centuries in a cruel joke. But if they died, Kidd was planning to leave with their heads held high, taking thousands of humans with him into the other world in the clearest message that could be sent to those arrogant creatures: you are not the strongest nor ever will be.

If they won instead the thing would be different. If they won, they would recover their little place in the world, they would prove to themselves that they still had the force of the old times, they could hope to regain their culture, stop hiding and fearing humans. If they won, Kidd will recover Law, regain his life, be happy.

Everything would be decided in this last battle.

"What do you want?" Kidd asked then looking away from his beloved partner to his enemy, the old man with the white hair and weak appearance who had summoned him to this place in the center of the Roman city.

Kidd didn't know why the other had called him now, his message was clear: either surrendered and gave back what was his, or the old man would perish with his beloved city. Speaking at this stage about attack plans, to threaten each other again when his soldiers were fighting outside would be absurd, and therefore, the only explanation for this meeting was the other planning to surrender, but would the old man really being thinking of doing it?

Akainu, however, instead of showing the submission of someone about to abdicate, only smiled crookedly without the slightest fear in his eyes, clearly thinking about a new strategy that was worrying the old dragon. What would Akainu do if he was not going to surrender? He could not attack Kidd, he couldn't defeat a dragon alone, What if the old man had discovered a new option?

Kidd had never met someone so mean and awful as this man in all his centuries of life, someone without the slightest scruples and without the slightest pity. Even the king of hell didn't get to such extremes. The blood froze in his veins only to hear his name, it was as if the very reincarnation of the devil suddenly appeared before him. And that gave Kidd a bad feeling, but he couldn't try to escape this meeting, especially when he had read that his partner would be present.

_Kidd had wanted to see Law above all._

"I want to negotiate the terms of your surrender" said at last the man with his voice riddled with hatred and disgust, as if the mere presence of the redhead in the world was something that needed to be removed immediately.

Kidd frowned and was simply left speechless. Really? His own men had betrayed him, his city was practically in ruins, the creatures were annihilating his men what the old commander wanted Kidd to surrender?

"We are not going to surrender" Kidd said with an angry voice, emphasizing the obvious, and totally surprised by the words of his enemy. Had the man lost his head?

Akainu then burst into laughter, loud and powerful, as if laughing at an inside joke, as if Kidd was an idiot. The laughter echoed in the bare walls of the temple with a macabre echo, amid the tense silence that suddenly reigned inside the temple.

To his right, Kidd observed Doflamingo grasping his sword and to his left Killer tensed, ready to fight if Kidd gave the order. Kidd on his own clenched his fists, also feeling his anger grow after such a clear sign of contempt.

"If you do not quit, you'll die, boy" said the old man after a while, still smiling amused "If I were you, I would be smart and submit, you don't have the slightest chance against me"

Kidd then opened his eyes surprised. It was true, the old man thought he could win against him. Despite having destroyed their accursed city, despite his own people having betrayed him and allying with Kidd, the old man thought he could still beat them. How could anyone be so arrogant? How blind could one person be? How much innocent blood had to be shed to open his eyes?

For Kidd it was then clear that the old man was not going to surrender. Whatever Kidd did, whatever happened, he was too arrogant to do so.

Akainu had to die.

Clenching his fists on either side of his body and scowling in a snarl of rage, Kidd roared his next words making the soil of the building tremble beneath his feet as a prophecy of the apocalypse. "We are not we're going to surrender!" the dragon repeated while on the altar candles fell to the ground, instantly burning the old red velvet carpet on the floor and turning the scene into what it really was: a battlefield, the cemetery of the old man.

However, the elderly, instead of being surprised by his answer, just smiled more broadly, as if he had expected just that answer, as if Kidd had fallen into the trap and had given him the necessary motive to kill him. Akainu then lifted a hand full of gold rings with rubies and holy shields, then dropped it in a quick gesture, muttering those words with satisfaction.

As if that has been the only thing he had been waiting for.

"Blackbeard, Law, slay them" it was his only order, clear, concise, almost relishing in the brutal command.

Chaos erupted instantly in the temple.

The fat man with black hair at the left side of the commander rushed to Killer with an almost excited look, as if this all had been planned from the beginning. Killer only had mere seconds to react to the heavy bare fists of the man, impregnated with a strange spell of black magic that raised air currents every time the man moved.

But Law, Law simply pounced on the redhead without the slightest doubt in his eyes, as if Kidd was the only enemy that Akainu had ordered him destroy, willing to kill his other half without the slightest remorse, despite knowing that this would also end his own life.

Kidd then saw perfectly Akainu's plan, the macabre plan of man: they would fight, day after day, night after night, until the dragon could not stand it anymore and, unable to kill his partner just let Law kill him instead, and then, due to the shared bond they had, Law would follow him to the other world, killing two birds with one stone.

They would kill each other unable to do anything about it.

Kidd froze assimilating the situation. Doflamingo immediately tried to help the redhead, understanding it too, and interposed between Law's sword and Kidd's neck, but letting out a cry of pain, Doflamingo quickly fell to the ground clutching his shoulder that started to bleed. Akainu, smiling again, aimed at his head with a smoking gun in his hand, ready to fire a second time at his ex-captain.

"No traitor, you'll will not help them" the old man said with hatred, approaching the panting blond who was flooding the floor with blood "the dragon will die, and he will do so at the hands of his beloved whore like he deserves" he said with derision.

Kidd was paralyzed. Seeing Law approach him with a sword in his hands clearly willing to end his life just overrode his mind. His partner wanted his life. His instincts screamed at him to give it to him, but his rational mind instead shouted at him that the person in front of him was no longer his partner, that nothing had remained of him.

With a cry of pain, Kidd finally turned at the last moment from the path of the sword, dodging the deadly blow to both, his mind and his body. Kidd felt numb, tired, too stressed to fight, to end the combat.

Law however immediately turned around and returned to charge him with the sword raised and with his face relaxed and completely empty. He almost looked like a puppet, being moved by invisible strings, without will, without the passion that had filled him before. Kidd walked back into chaos that suddenly filled the building while his mind simply refused to assimilate what he was seeing. Law could not be really dead, Kidd refused to surrender with his other half, there had to be a way to bring him back. But which one? How?!.

"Law" he tried calling him, the dragon voice weak and confused, while his partner tried again to catch up with him and gut him with the huge bright edged sword.

The brown haired boy however did not respond at all to his call, as if the redhead was not there, as if he couldn't understand his words or as if they simply didn't possess any importance. Law just kept trying to attack him as Akainu had commanded him. Each time getting closer, getting better reading the redhead attacks and bringing him closer to his death. Law had always been so adept at learning, at training, even now, at the gates of death, Kidd couldn't stop marveling at what Law was.

"Law" The redhead called again, louder this time, stronger, more tense.

Kidd needed to get him back, he needed to prove to himself that Law was there, that he could save him, that he wasn't lost forever. He needed to understand that everything, so much death, so much suffering, was worth something.

When Law continued to ignore him, without even looking into his eyes, Kidd roared low in the temple, starting to get pissed. Dodging another blow, he then caught one of Law's arms and pushed him against his body in a fast move, immobilizing his mate against his chest and imprisoning his neck with his other hand in a silent alert. He was not going to hurt his partner, never, but he needed to have a little of control, he needed Law to stop attacking so he could think.

It was then, feeling Law against his body, with his sweet scent enveloping him again, with his warmth contrasting his own, and his fingers caressing the smooth brown skin of that elegant neck, that the dragon's mind rather than clarified, just stopped working. Completely in need of his partner after weeks without seeing him, after thinking he had lost him and and that it was all over, Kidd whined piteously with his partner at last in his arms, and rubbed his cheek against the soft dark hair, needing to feel _him_ again.

"Law" the dragon whimpered, shuddering at the little contact, at how amazing it was to have his mate at his side again for the shortest time "Law, Law" he couldn't help repeating the precious name of the other, as if that was his salvation "Law please answer me"

When his fingers touched the old bite mark on the boy's neck, one that would never heal completely no matter what happens, no matter the potions that he drank or what the boy made to erase it, Kidd almost fell to his knees right there as if he had been hit in the stomach. Too stunned by the instinct that rumbled inside him again and took control. He wanted to bite him again, oh god, he needed desperately to bite him or he was sure he would die there.

However, thanks to his distracted mind, the old dragon could not hear the soft murmurs coming out of the perfect lips of his partner until it was too late. When a powerful shock of a spell hit against his body, hurling him several meters away from the exorcist, Kidd realized his mistake.

Yet he could not help roaring with anger at the loss of contact with his human.

"I have nothing to say to you monster" said Law then with a dead toneless voice as he regained his balance and turned to pounce on him.

Kidd returned immediately to avoid the dark haired boy with effort. This was the worst torture. He had Law in front of him but he couldn't touch him, had an enemy in front of him but could not kill him. Akainu had really planned this perfectly, knowing that the dragon couldn't defeat his partner, knowing that Law would not stop until the dragon died.

Kidd however refused to surrender. There had to be a way, a fucking way to get him back.

"Why do you attack me? Aren't you my partner? Shouldn't we care for each other?" Asked the dragon, again trying to make him remember, trying to restore the emotions that the other had forgotten.

"No" responded Law as his sword grazed his skin in a non-stop attack.

All around them the small temple was filled with flames, the old statues watched him macabrely among the dark shadows, and the small skylight in the ceiling seemed to be unable to remove all the smoke that filled the room. The place wouldn't take long to collapse.

Doflamingo with the gaping wound on his shoulder was still trying to stand up to Akainu, clearly seeking to give Kidd time to talk to Law, to get him back, but the old dragon knew the blond could not stand it much longer with such a wound. Akainu was taking advantage of that weakness too and launched attack after attack and spell after spell against the blonde kneeling on the floor, bleeding terribly.

Killer on the other hand seemed to be winning his own battle slowly. The changeling had become his other half, his true form. His earlier blond hair had now turned into the fur of a huge black leopard decorated with blood red spots, and with claws and teeth that had nothing to envy to the dragon itself, swooped over the poor fat human. The stocky old man was holding barely, but Kidd knew it was only a matter of time before he perished under the claws of his friend.

Kidd panted between the thick black smoke of the place and just looked at his partner one more time who now walked around him in a perfect circle, trying to find a weak point in the shield that Kidd had drawn around him, looking for a little time to think. He had to think.

He had to put an end to this.

"Then everything has been a lie?" He asked, trying to distract him, trying to wait for Killer ending his fight, then helping Doflamingo and then to help him contain Law without hurting him in the least.

Kidd could transform, he could use his magic and end this stupid fight, but he could not hurt Law. Kidd could end the war, destroy that temple where the enemy commander barely fought his own battle, he could end the killing and suffering in that moment, but he didn't want to lose his partner. Winning the battle would be stupid if he failed to get Law back.

"Yes" again Law responded clearly lying but still breaking a part of his own soul with that one dead and lifeless word.

This fight was defeating Kidd mentally. Not only for fighting Law in a fight that he had never imagined, but because Law's blows were really intending to kill him. As if what he said was serious, as if Kidd really meant nothing to Law now, as if he had forgotten everything. Kidd didn't know if they had made him forget, if they had changed the memories, or if the fact of destroying his emotions had also destroyed his memories, but just thinking about it terrified him.

Kidd was forced to trust him, he was forced to believe in Law, but blow after blow, question after question, his mind was crumbling into pieces. If Kidd didn't really dodged the blows, Law would have killed him a thousand times, if he didn't murmur the counterspells of Law's attacks, his brain would now be scattered across the floor.

Kidd was only defending, not attacking, but with each new blow Kidd felt his strength fading, his will disappearing. _Blow after blow_. His instincts screamed at him to be killed if that was what his partner wanted, his rational mind had less and less strength to resist to that instinct.

"That first time in your room after the fight did not mean anything to you?" Asked Kidd, punishing himself "When we prepared the meal together the next day? When you kissed me? It didn't mean anything at all?"

"No" Law continued with that cold tone "It never did, I'm an exorcist, I don't have a heart"

 _Creak_. Kidd could almost hear another piece of his mind breaking apart with every word of his other half. With every memory blackened with another lie of those beautiful lips, to see again how his partner had disappeared in the cold code of the organization.

"And the treasure I gave you" he asked again, recalling one of his favorite memories, the one in which Law had begun to change, the one in which Law had begun to respond to him. His last hope.

"You mean the treasure you steal? Why would I want jewelry stained with the blood of my people?"

Creak. Kidd could barely stand the pain that suddenly came over him.

"What you told me the night before you were kidnapped?"

"A lie" Law responded mercilessly, without the slightest hint of compassion.

Crash. The redhead's mind stopped working. His partner did not want him, his partner had forgotten. Kidd looked stunned at his teammates, but both Doflamingo and Killer were fighting their own battles. They weren't going to help him, there was no more time. Everything was over.

He was alone. He had always been alone.

"Do you really want to kill me?" asked the legendary dragon at the brink of collapsing, with his head down without daring to look at his partner who still waited for Kidd to undo the protection spell.

"Yes" Law answered instantly, without doubt, without remorse. Only a cold, hard confirmation.

His partner wanted his death. After weeks apart, after fighting wars, razing empires only to see him again, all that his partner wanted was him dead. Kidd's mind was too needy to please Law, to see him happy after so much suffering. Kidd just wanted to see him surprised, laugh, smile.

 _Law wanted him dead_.

Falling to his knees on the floor Kidd, finally undid the spell of protection, ending totally helpless, he raised his head and looked at Law with a serious and desperate face. Yeah, it was what Law wanted. It was what he was unable to deny.

"As you wish" he said raising his arms in surrender, willing to die for Law if it was what he wanted.

Law instantly lunged at him with his sword raised without the slightest emotion in his face. No joy for victory, nor grief over the death of a loved one. Nothing. Only those beautiful gray eyes staring like two daggers of ice ready to fulfill the order of his superior.

When Kidd closed his eyes before the sword cut him he thought that, at least, it was a good death. He would die at the hands of his other half, watching what he loved the most in this world. Now that the link had been reduced to the slightest connection, maybe Law would survive it and, perhaps, with Kidd's death, he would regain sanity. Killer would take good care for him then, as Doflamingo, Shanks and the rest, they would protect his partner, Law would be fine.

Kidd didn't have the slightest remorse, this was what he should do, the ultimate sacrifice for Law.

When the sword touched his neck in a death blow, when Doflamingo and Killer shouted his name, not believing what his eyes saw, a huge jolt, surely the result of the attacks of dragons fighting outside, shook the building making Kidd fell to one side, losing his balance.

The bright sword of Law, moved from his mortal position, but ended the fateful movement.

Kidd screamed in pain, falling to the ground, his left vision turned red and an intense pain made him folded in half in the bloodied and dirty floor between the stunned and horrified eyes of his friends.

His left arm now lay dead in front of his body, with the bracelet he had given Law still decorating his wrist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now the good news, I will be gone for a month more or less to my medieval village without internet, and, as a little compensative spoiler I will tell you that, in the next chapter, someone is going to die and it's not gonna be Akainu.
> 
> Have fun~


	27. Eye for eye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here I am, in the middle of nowhere updating with my mobile, I don't even know if this is gonna work, but in any case, thanks for keep reading my weird shit, for commenting so much and to my beta who suffers me. I love you all. Please don't kill me.

Shanks watched analytically the city below from the top of one of the Roman houses. Between the labyrinthine streets were still people fighting, some of the exorcists still struggling and refusing to recognize what was already obvious: they had lost.

The last battle had been short, with the help of the renegades and with his own people who craved revenge for their fallen comrades, the few exorcists who were still defending the Vatican with that fanatical conviction had been annihilated. And, after years of oppression and suffering, there hadn't been even the slightest show of pity among his men. These people had deserved to die, and while there were still small skirmishes within the streets of the old town, Shanks could see perfectly how his men sighed of relief with each new death. With the threat coming to an end, with their family more secure after every fallen man.

There were still things to do, Shanks knew that the war and the fight were not over, the church had thousands of allies, the head could be still alive without Kidd not being able to kill him yet. Akainu could escape, he could still do too much damage, but this battle had been a precise blow to the entire organization, one that Shanks knew they won't be able to recover from for a long time.

With his arms folded and standing on top of one of the roofs of the palaces of the noble families, Shanks smiled, thinking of his own family waiting for him at home, and the news that Makino had given him before he had left: they were expecting a child. Shanks felt his blood boiling with pride and happiness just by remembering her. As the redhead felt the wind, plagued with the smell of smoke and blood, tousle his hair, the man just wanted to go home and take his wife in his arms and kiss her senseless in thanks for those precious news.

But he also knew that it was time to tell Dragon.

Both Makino and himself had decided to hide their relationship from the man, as the old dragon was too overprotective of his children, especially his eldest daughter. But this could no longer been hidden, the man was going to be a grandfather, and Shanks hoped that the happiness from the news would prevent the old man from murdering him. The redhead had been afraid since he had started his relationship with the girl, that her beloved father would discover them and wanted to kill him for "dishonoring" his daughter. Makino had shared the same fear from the beginning.

However this drama would have to wait, Shanks was still on the battlefield, the raw reality surrounding him, the victory may be close, but he shouldn't let his guard down, there were still thousands of dangers to fight before his family could grow in peace.

Turning away from the smoky city full of screams under the strong Mediterranean sun, Shanks reentered the building, beginning to give orders to the people there.

The wounded kept coming to the huge building that they had conquered for them on the outskirts of the city, some came only with a cut or scratch that didn't heal thanks to the cursed swords of the exorcists, while others were instead fighting in the fine line that separated life from death. The gigantic rooms of the Villa Borghese, decorated with huge windows and painted with large scenes of gods and men on the ceilings, were crowded into a bustling show. Witches and druids barely were able to heal his men, and asked for help from anyone who knew the least of medicine. The families of the wounded were gathered around makeshift beds on the floor, giving a silent support to the unconscious soldiers, bringing them back to life and calling for them to not fall into the darkness.

The overall picture was quite shocking, so many injured, so many tears and desperate entreaties could diminish the mood of any man. However, Shanks could only be proud of his people. Seeing the fighting spirit of the doctors in that extreme situation, how families refused to let go of their loved ones, or how the different races allied to end the terror, Shanks had a slight hope. The bonds that were being forged in this battle would last for centuries. No matter what happened. They would survive.

Leaving the building after giving the necessary orders to his lieutenants - to end the last exorcists which remained in the city - Shanks went to the Pantheon in the city center with a fast low flight over the ruined houses. The old dragon planed between the plumes of black smoke and dodged the latest skirmishes, wanting to arrive quickly where the real battle was fought.

Shanks had fulfilled his promise: he had destroyed the enemy's army, the city was now theirs, no one could oppose them, but Kidd still had to meet his own promise, he still had to end his worst enemy and the commander of that organization of fanatics. He had yet to get back his partner.

Shanks accelerated his flight, slightly worried about that last one thing. The struggle should have not taken the redhead more than a few hours, it was one human against three mythological beast, Shanks knew Kidd's mate would also be there, but he also trusted the intelligence and power of Kidd to get him back. Shanks's own struggle against the tiny army of exorcists had taken all morning, but Kidd should have finished by now.

However Kidd had not contacted him.

Shanks refused to think of the worst possible scenario and just further accelerated his flight. They could not lose Kidd, he refused to even think about it. Kidd had united them all again, he had returned them the hope to reclaim their lives and get out of the shadows, he could not have left them now that it was all over.

When Shanks spotted the round structure of the Pantheon in the middle of the square, its massive dome now shattered between stone ruins, and a figure of red hair fallen in a pool of blood, his heart fell to his feet.

.

.

.

Something broke inside Law. It was like a snap, like a thin layer of ice shattering under a huge pressure and then splitting into thousand pieces. Silence filled his head before his mind was suddenly filled with a sharp, stabbing pain. A pain he had always felt, not physical, but mental, suffering, terror, despair, as if suddenly the iced dam containing the water had broken and too much water precipitated through a too little hole.

His mind began to flood, to boil, to swirl and raze everything there. At one point there was an exorcist, a soldier, in the next, the water swept it all bringing back memories, and arousing feelings he had been forced to forget, pain, anger, affection, trust.

The soldier stopped being the soldier, suddenly, he no longer knew who he was, too much information in too little time, too much water spilling over the dam, a personality fought with another, past and present intermingled in his mind without giving him any explanation of what was happening, without letting one dominate the other.

His mind lost itself in a torrent of confusion and black waters.

When the flood of water subsided after a while, Law took a deep breath trying to assimilate, to understand exactly what he was. He was no longer the soulless soldier, but he wasn't also the boy who had found comfort in the arms of a dragon, he would never be, neither one nor the other, but he could never leave any of them behind. He was both at the same time, the present and the past, coldness and warmth.

He was Trafalgar Law.

Opening his eyes, Law looked at the world from a new perspective. Feeling as if returning to breathe after having spent too long under water. And unlike the peaceful and serene pond that was now his mind, the world around him was total chaos.

The Pantheon, that ancient temple that had meant so much to the civilization was in ruins around him, broken stones, statues split in half, all in flames. Doflamingo, the man who had protected him so many times, was still fighting Akainu, the man who had tortured and broken him into pieces of thin ice. Blackbeard screamed as Kidd's friend finally stabbed his heart in one precise attack, covering his black fur with red blood.

Kidd was also there.

Law looked at the dragon curled up on himself on the floor with a tired face, with that pool of blood spreading with every passing second and slowly killing him. The redhead had sacrificed himself for him. Law remembered it clearly in his mind, now with the new perspective, with the coldness of the soldier and the passion of the lost boy, Kidd had allowed Law to kill him so Law could regain his soul.

Anger flooded him, tinting the peaceful pond in his mind with a bright red color. The two mangled parts of his soul shouted in unison. The soldier seeing such a creature, someone so strong and powerful, writhing on the floor after the betrayal and injustice of this world. The lost child however cried and screamed in pain at seeing his partner and the most important part of his life dying because of him.

Law then felt tears falling down his cheeks. The bond that had united them since that day he had accepted Kid as his other half, was dying in his mind, the life of the dragon lost before him, the connection falling apart and leaving a too painful emptiness in his soul.

Law dropped the sword still clutched in his hand and knelt beside the dragon, shaking. His knees stained with his blood, red, bright, like the fire of the creature, like the bright hair Law adored to stroke. The dragon's body instead seemed to jump away scared of him and Law hated himself for having done that, for scaring his partner.

He was never going to forgive himself for doing this, for having wounded Kidd, for having make Kidd sacrifice himself for someone who was absolutely worthless.

"Law?" the dragon asked then, his gaze unfocused, his voice so weak that he could barely be heard above the battle.

Law said nothing, tears were falling down his face without the dark haired boy being able to contain them. He loved him so much. He was losing him. Raising his arms to the bloody stump that was now the arm of his partner, Law began to recite the words of that ancient and forgotten language. Kidd's face contorted with pain, his hands tried to stop him, but the dragon had no strength left to do so, the blood loss was killing him.

Law continued singing, watching his words close Kidd's veins and skin, healing his body, the wound in his eye, how slowly he was returning Kidd everything he needed. The redhead's skin retook the pink color that Law adored, the wound stopped bleeding and the skin around it began to be covered with long scars of tender and weak skin that would never heal.

But Law didn't stop just with that.

With that old magic that his father had taught him as a child, before the order came to fetch him, Law returned the redhead his lost strength, he eliminated the fatigue, the sleep, the tiredness, Law spilled his whole soul into the spell, not caring what happened to him. Kidd had to live, Law was worthless after what had happened.

Law's breathing began to get heavier, his own strength declining to give it to the dragon, his body began to shake from fatigue, his mind to throb with the effort. But it didn't matter, the soldier inside him had endured much worse tortures, the soldier knew how to withstand adversity, and Law took that knowledge now and just kept chanting the strange words. He continued to recite as his eyes became blurred, as he felt his body became rigid and weak, until a hand squeezed around his waist and pulled him against a strong chest covered in blood.

"That's enough" ordered Kidd, his voice now strong, his pulse pounding with renewed forces under the skin of his neck, the wounds completely closed.

Law closed his eyes stopping the spell and, resting his head on Kidd's shoulder, he breathed deeply flooding his lungs with the smell of the dragon. He wanted to tell him a thousand things, he wanted to ask other thousands, he wanted to hug him, kiss him, compensate for the immense betrayal that had caused him pain and suffering.

"I'm sorry" were the only words that came out of his mouth. He did not deserve to say anything more.

He had surrendered, had let the order manipulate him, had lost focus and had hurt the person he loved most in the world. Law was not going to forgive himself, whenever he looked up to Kidd, he would remember who had cut off his arm, who had nearly killed him, who had put that empty look in the eyes of the dragon.

Kidd had sacrificed himself for him like nobody had ever done.

Raising his arms and hugging the dragon's neck firmly, he buried his head in his neck and began to cry. For all that had happened, the separation, the treachery, his oblivion. Kidd stroked his back all the time without saying anything, without repudiating or throwing him away from him. Law didn't know if the dragon would forgive him after this, he would understand if he didn't, Law could not forgive himself.

"It was not your fault" the dragon began kissing his hair affectionately, hugging him back, touching and inhaling his scent as if he only needed Law to be happy, as if having him in his arms now leads him back to life.

Law's heart again pressed at the inside of his chest. He didn't deserve him, Kidd was too good for him, he deserved someone better than Law, someone who did not hurt him so much.

"Kidd... Your arm, I…" Law began helplessly.

"It doesn't matter Law" the dragon continued consoling him fondly, squeezing him even more against his chest possessively but in that protective way "you're back, that's what is important, I would have cut off my other arm and both legs if I could have you back with that"

Again that tightness in his chest, again the love overflowing the link that united them. Law didn't understand. He didn't understand how the dragon could still love him despite everything, despite all that Law had done, the pain he had caused.

"I love you" Kidd murmured against his ear, his breath caressing his hair in such an intimate way, making him tremble with those three particular words "Don't leave me again" Kidd muttered then in that voice that sounded so weak.

Law couldn't anymore, the pressure in his chest was too much, raising his head from the dragon's neck, Law took the redhead's face in his hands and kissed him.

Amid the chaos, in the middle of battle, amid the dark, deep waters that flooded his mind, Law kissed the one who stood against adversity. The one who had saved him from losing himself forever. Kidd had asked him not to leave him alone and Law will never do it again. He fucking swore it. Above all. He would never leave him, he would devote himself to make Kidd the happiest person in the world.

Kidd licked his lips with his tongue as he let out a desperate cry, tears were coming down Law's cheeks who was already unable to hold them. It was too much. Everything was too much. Focusing on the mouth beneath his, Law put everything into the kiss. The pain, his love for Kidd, his confusion. His tongue danced with the redhead's one in a demanding and passionate kiss, Law completely abandoned himself to his partner, to the only light in his life.

When they parted Kidd smiled in that stupid way that Law adored, his eyes shining excited, with these sharp, perfect teeth peeking out from under lips reddened by the kiss, and with that new scar now crossing his eye, giving him an even wilder look.

Law adored him.

"Let's go back home" Kidd then said with a dark and desperate look.

Law could only nod and stand, also desperately needing to return home with the dragon, to return to that haven of peace in the valley where his life had changed so dramatically and perfectly.

Forgetting his surroundings and just watching this incredible creature grinning at him from the ground.

That was his only mistake.

.

.

.

Akainu could not understand. He had lost. His perfect plan, his quest for power, everything he had fought all his life and the reason he had become a monster, ruined in an instant. Blackbeard had fallen. His body unrecognizable under the claws of the changeling of yellow eyes and blind fury that now walked towards Akainu in search of his next prey. Even Doflamingo was still alive despite his attacks and his dirty tricks.

He had lost. When a huge red dragon landed on the stone covered floor of the square, he knew that his men had also fallen. Everything was over, his quest for power, his perfect plan, everything destroyed because of those despicable beings who deserved death before setting foot in this world. They had taken his throne, had annihilated the most perfect organization in the world, and corrupted their weak and emotional men.

Akainu knew he must feel defeated, lost, but instead fury swept through the old man. An absolute and blind fury he should not have felt within the cold code of the exorcists.

Akainu unconsciously sought a way to release it, and, as always, he looked for his beloved grandson in the chaos around him. Akainu knew that this were his last moments, he saw it in the eyes of the shifter that walked with deadly fury toward him, in Doflamingo raising his pistol, in the silence that had fallen over the city, like the silence before the last act.

Akainu knew for certain that he would die.

But that didn't matter. He had stopped to fear the death when he had first set foot into the organization, death meant nothing, if you were afraid of it you turned weak, manipulable, he was too powerful and valuable to have such fears. He'd look death in the face as did the greatest men in the world. What was not planned was that it would arrived so quickly, without he having been able to achieve his goal, under the hands of his enemies.

But if he fell in that dirty and humiliating way, he would not fall alone. If he died, he would take the happiness of those beings. It was what they deserved. Eye by eye, tooth by tooth.

Turning quickly with a speed that was not typical of an old man like him, Akainu turned towards the pair embracing each other on the floor, not noticing the chaos and war. His grandson was getting up and standing almost anxiously, his reeducation had clearly broken in a way that Akainu didn't understand, his focus on the dragon now with one arm smiling at him on the floor.

With two strides, Akainu picked up the sword that his grandson had thrown to the ground. The sword that had belonged to the boy's father, which had then belonged to Corazon before passing it into Law's hands. That cursed sword that the boy had so much appreciation for reasons that the cold and analytical mind of Akainu could not understand.

The dragon then saw him standing at the back of his mate, as did the shifter coming after him and everyone in the shattered square. They understood his intentions, they understood what he was going to do and tried to stop him.

But it was too late, Akainu was too fast, rage flooded his mind giving him new strength.

The sword pierced his grandson's chest in a perfect heist. It was almost like cutting butter, right through his heart from side to side causing the tip of the sword come out through the other part of his chest.

But the boy could still be saved, Akainu knew it, he knew the monsters have spells able to heal the most serious injuries that any man could have, if they could use them in time.

What they could not do was bring the dead back.

Akainu didn't want to give his grandson a mortal wound, Akainu wanted to kill him. Quickly. A mortal wound that would end his life in seconds without anyone having time to do anything about it.

Before the horrified gaze of everyone present, the commander twisted the sword in the boy's chest, breaking the heart of his grandson in seconds. Ending his life in the little moment it takes to breathe. Seeing as the small boy's body writhed in a last spasm of pure pain. As blood splattered the dragon's face on the floor.

When Akainu retired the sword from Law's body, the boy was already dead.

Akainu saw it in how his body fell to the ground like a sack of wheat, without the reflex to stop the fall, without the slightest cry of pain. A quick death that ended everything the monsters had wanted to build, which will ended with these creatures completely.

Because now, with Law dead, the dragon would die too, and without a commander, that army of monsters would explode in chaos and would be wiped out quickly. Akainu laughed as the shifter of blond hair stood behind him and raised his claws with a cry of rage ready to kill him, while Doflamingo fired his gun, while the huge red dragon on the square spewing fire on him.

Akainu laughed loud and clear.

He was already dead, but his enemy had fallen with him.


	28. Storm

Kidd saw him fall. Slowly. As a last cruel joke of fate forcing him to observe every little detail without missing anything from the scene. While he just remained paralyzed, too shocked and incredulous to do anything.

Law was smiling at him at the moment, holding out his hand for Kidd to take it so they could return to the wonderful life that Kidd had been practically touching with his fingers. It was over, he had recovered his partner, he was now going to be happy, he would have a life and could stop worrying about the world.

When the bright sword had showed through Law's chest, piercing through him without the slightest warning, Kidd hadn't understood what he was seeing.

He didn't understand until he had seen Law's horrified face, until a muffled sound had come out of his mouth when the sword had turned in his chest, tearing his heart with a small movement. It was not until the scarlet red blood was running down the face of his partner staining Kidd too, that the dragon understood what was happening, it was not until Law's eyes lost that precious shine the dragon so adored, that Kidd reacted.

Rising from the ground quickly, Kidd grabbed his partner with his only arm and was thus preventing Law to collide with the dirty and disgusting soil through the fall and doing himself more harm.

However, when the weight of his mate lay safe and secure in his arm, Law had already left this world.

Kidd knew it without needing to check his pulse, without listening to his breathing, or seeing his beautiful face. Law was dead. Solitude surrounded Kidd again. The link was broken. There was absolutely nothing.

He was alone.

Kidd roared in utter darkness and felt the whole city tremble around him. Breathing heavily Kidd began to shake in a heavy panic attack. His eyes misted with tears unable to breathe. He was drowning, he was dying, he was following his partner to the other world and everything seemed to be over.

His mind seemed to dissociate from his body while shaking in spasms, Kidd gripped the now lifeless body of the tanned against his own. Possessive. Refusing to let him go.

In front of him, Killer finally reached Akainu and, in the next moment, the body of the man was rolling on the ground, halved by a violent attack. Across the huge square, Shanks, still transformed into a huge and elegant red dragon, roared and whined sadly responding to Kidd's broken roar. Doflamingo, still sitting among the ruins, had his eyes fixed on Law's body with his eyes open with surprise and pure horror.

Everything seemed to have stopped in that moment to contemplate the scene. There wasn't the slightest sound in the square, not even the smallest bird sang nor were more explosions of the battles heard. Everything seemed to have ended with Law's death.

Kidd roared back sadly as his body shook in a spasm of pure pain. He did not understand. His mind could not assimilate the idea, Law could not be dead. Like a lost child, Kidd was still looking for the link in his increasingly desperate mind convinced that there would be one, that it could not have disappeared, not after everything they had been through.

Law's body remained motionless against his own, cooling, blood pouring from the gaping wound in his chest and staining everything with that horrible crimson red. All signs indicated that he had lost him, but Kidd refused to surrender. He kept searching. Getting lost in his own mind. Crying in desperation for being back in that absolute darkness.

Refusing to let go, Kidd kissed the pale and expressionless face of his dark haired mate now with eyes closed in peace. He called, begged him to return and not leave him alone. But Law was not listening, and the darkness just grew, threatening to devour him.

Law did not respond. He would never do.

The world seemed to tremble when Kidd finally understood that he was alone again. His mind seemed to break into a thousand shattered pieces, the immense power he had suddenly stood free and the square and center of Rome became the very definition of chaos.

Killer was shouting something as he fled from his side unable to approach him, Doflamingo kept watching Law, ignoring the other exorcists pulling at him and begging him to get out of there. Shanks had disappeared.

Kidd embraced Law as he felt the tears running down his face with no intention of stopping, while from his mouth escaped groans of pure solitude.

The redhead's power filled the air around them.

The rocks of the Parthenon, the ruins of the city, the walls of houses and even the cobblestones from the floor raised in the air, shaking suspended in nothingness as if a magnetic field kept them there. Then they began turning in a wide circle whose epicenter was the dragon himself and his partner, turning and turning, faster and faster, hitting trees, people, bumping into each other and creating instantly a massive swirl of air and stones around the couple like a wall protecting them from the world.

A tornado that almost wiped out half the city as the dragon cried, oblivious to what he was causing. Too mired in sadness.

.

.

.

Doflamingo watched the storm from a safe place several kilometers away from the city. The sun had set and had risen three times in the sky since the disaster had begun, invoked by the dragon himself. Since the huge swirl of sand and debris had risen high and huge into the sky to get lost in an enormous thundercloud that would lit it at night with flashes of lightning, the world seemed to have darkened forever.

Doflamingo had never seen anything like this. Even the desert storms he had witnessed in several of his missions to Africa couldn't be compared with this. Sandstorms passed. You could protect yourself from a sandstorm. But this strange weather phenomenon seemed to have a mind of its own to guide it.

The storm had swept everything in its path when it began, without distinguishing friend from foe it had destroyed half the city creating a perfect circle from which it stood tall and imposing in the air, roaring sadly like the cries of a dragon. It didn't move in the least, always in the same place, rotating in the same direction, with the precision of a cutting sword it destroyed anyone who dared to venture into it.

Doflamingo had watched it every night since the battle had ended and he had just waited.

Such power could not be maintained for too long, the dragon could not hold it much longer no matter the power he had, when the storm finished and just dissolved itself in the air, Doflamingo knew it would be when the dragon has died.

So Doflamingo waited. Every night he watched the monstrous and silent storm and waited for the miracle or the tragic end that would define the future of the world. Doflamingo waited, as the remnants of the army of beasts did too.

Kidd was the leader of those men, the strongest of them all, all had put their hope in him, and if Kidd perished in that battle, the hope would fade and disappear along with it as if it had never existed. They have won the battle and freedom, but if Kidd, the symbol and head of the rebellion, perished, the price would simply be too high.

Another war would break out soon, this time internal.

Without a king to govern them, the council of dragons would fight to get the now empty throne. Shanks and Marco had ended up fighting the previous evening, the tension too great, the pain of losing a friend too recent, and any comments insulting, too risque at the time. At this rate a war would soon break out. Europe itself would fall into chaos, some races fighting against the other to gain the control Kidd had held for centuries. Without a ruler, the clans of creatures would pounce on each other, without successor to the throne, the conflict was inevitable.

They might have won this war, but that would be meaningless if Kidd died.

They needed him more than ever, not only to maintain control, but for what Kidd and the relationship he had with Law meant for this world. The alliance between humans and beasts. The hope that everything could work out. It could be the beginning that many expected, the beginning of a new world.

But that might be asking too much.

Kidd had been wounded in the worst possible way. To ask him to get up and continue fighting would be too much. It would be cruel. So Doflamingo said nothing during those days and just helped resolve conflicts that arose in the army's camp that had been set up south of the city in one of the forests surrounding Rome, between the sea and the huge storm. Day after day he tried to keep the peace, and diminish competition, night after night he sat in his tent on the outskirts of the forest between high herbs and the fields of wheat and watched the storm while praying to every God he knew up there for a miracle that he didn't even understand.

Doflamingo had refused to think of his nephew, in the images that were burned into his mind of his body covered in blood. Law would not die. The dragon was still alive, and while Kidd was alive, Doflamingo still hoped. He had seen the miracles that the link could do, like the one where Law had survived the reeducation and returned with them thanks to the dragon. There was hope, another miracle could happen. Doflamingo refused to lose all hope, he refused to think about the apocalypse that would happen in the world if the dragon died.

Every night Doflamingo refused to stop praying for Law to return to them.

.

.

.

When the storm faded into nothingness, Killer was several kilometers away from the city, watching from afar in silence. Seven days. Kidd had endured seven days. More than anyone had ever done after losing their other half. Seven as the seven dragons, as the seven continents and the seven stars.

Seven was the number of magic.

Killer's tortured eyes closed feeling incredibly lost. Unlike many in the camp, he had not kept the hope, Kidd had already lost his family once and the blow had completely changed him, it was impossible to survive a second lost. Killer had seen the passion in the eyes of the redhead when he spoke of Law, he had seen his love and despair at the situation of the boy.

Killer knew his friend and knew how cruel the world was. Kidd would not survive this time. Miracles didn't exist.

That's why he had been preparing for this in the long, silent days where everyone had been too tense. Slowly he had prepared for the day when his friend couldn't stand it anymore and would fall into the abyss following his beloved partner. He had been preparing mentally to pick up the lifeless body of his friend and brother, and Law, to bury them as they deserved, as the heroes of the tragedy.

But deep down the blond knew he would never be prepared for something like this. Kidd was his last family, to bury him and lose him forever after all they had been through together would destroy a part of his soul. Killer himself didn't know how he should survive this last loss.

So when the storm vanished into thin air, stopping as quickly as it had begun, Killer walked to the deserted city of Rome, walking slowly without wanting to face what he knew he would find there.

As the storm disappeared from the place covering the city with a fine black sand, Killer strolled among the jumbled streets now deserted and the ruins of the old city, feeling in his bones the impressive silence that freeze it. There was no one, no animals, no plants nor the slightest trace of life after the destructive storm, the palaces and old buildings that had previously risen imposingly and beautiful in the city were now destroyed and covered by that black dust that furrowed the air, blackening everything and falling to the ground like ashes behind the devastating fire.

It was as if the world had become more sinister in this place after the tragedy that had happened here.

But the outer city was nothing compared to the huge barren esplanade that the storm had dug into the center of the city where it had ravaged. The buildings were completely gone, the fountains, the streets, everything had been eradicated to create a perfect circle of several kilometers where there was only black earth and huge dunes that rose and flowed on the ground with the wind after the storm.

And there, right in the center, in a small and tiny circle of stones, two figures were stopped in the same position as Killer remembered having seen them the last time seven days ago.

Kidd was on his knees, head bowed and his one arm around Law's body protectively holding him against his chest without moving in the slightest, with his face touching Law's as if to give him a last kiss. Law was now pale, his body partially lying on Kidd's knees and the floor, and the blood of his body scattered over the cobblestones around them was now pure black.

Killer stood at the edge of that small circle of stones and, realizing that someone had followed him, he turned to look at a dark exorcist who was panting behind him and who watched Law's body in horror from a distance almost on the verge of tears.

Killer's mind instantly identify him as a "friend", Penguin one of the companions of Kidd's mate. He was no danger Killer quickly thought. However, just when seeing him, something inside him shouted that the boy was someone important to him and that he should pay him attention, something just cried in happiness inside of him when seeing that little exorcist.

But at this moment, his concern for Kidd was superior and he simply ignored that warning focusing again on his beloved brother.

Kidd was his last family, the little man could wait.

Killer then approached slowly the motionless couple in the midst of that paramo, but Kidd didn't react to his presence as he normally did, he didn't move and Killer felt his worst fear confirmed. Making an impossible effort, the blonde knelt in front of his friend and the lifeless body of Law, and watched his face carefully.

Kidd's eyes were red, almost as intense as his hair, he had huge black circles of exhaustion below them, and traces of blood and tears on his cheeks. All his muscles seemed tense and stiff after spending days in the same position without moving in the least, but even so, the grip the redhead had on Law's body remained firm, and his chest was rising and falling weakly.

Kidd was alive, or at least as alive as someone in his situation might be. His gaze instead destroyed something inside the blond shifter, it was just so empty, so lost, so ... weak.

Killer felt the lump in his throat tighten.

He needed to get his friend out of here, he needed to give him a bed, food, and get him out of the misery that he was suffering. Instinct and his whole being screamed at him to help his family. To see Kidd like this - Kidd who had always been someone so strong, who had always managed to survive, who was the role model for all of them - completely crushed Killer's world.

Opening his mouth and talking with all the delicacy and care he could, Killer tried to return Kidd to the cruel world in which they lived. He could not lose him. Not this way.

"Kidd, let's go" he whispered low, not daring even to touch his brother who seemed about to break "the other six are waiting for you"

.

.

.

The storm roaring inside of Kidd, pain, anger, frustration, disappointment, sadness, despair... all blended in his head spinning and spinning in the same direction without letting him think. Kidd didn't know how much time he spend in that state, time didn't matter, time could change, lengthen and shorten if he felt like doing it, time didn't matter.

What mattered was that Law was now dead.

The storm raged long and hard, stealing his power, weakening him and helping him fight the darkness that surrounded him in the emptiness of his mind. Kidd had fought against that deep nothing, but as always, he was unable to hold on and again he had lost. He had lost. With the last breath of energy, Kidd had seen the barrier fade and expose him to the darkness, the tragedy, the harsh reality.

Law was dead.

For a moment, Kidd didn't know how much, time didn't matter, time could be changed, Kidd just watched the approaching darkness surrounding him slowly, gradually encircling and destroying him, extinguishing his life in a slow and painful progress. But Kidd didn't care, nothing mattered, if he died then perhaps he would join Law in the other world, there was nothing to fight for, there was nothing left.

With patience and fearlessness Kidd waited for the end.

That was when the words entered his mind, reverberating with the echo of a voice that he didn't remember who it belonged to. Darkness had devoured the memory long since.

"The other six are waiting for you"

The other six. Because they were seven. Seven. Seven stars. Seven continents. Seven Dragons. But Kidd knew only six. Shanks, Marco, Jimbe, Hancock, Dragon and himself. America, Australia, Atlantis, Asia, Africa and Europe. Polaris, Sirius, Rigel, Orion, Vega and Antares. The seventh never appeared, the seventh was a mystery surrounded in myths and legends older than the world itself, the seventh... the seventh was magic.

His mother had told him stories and children's tales about that dragon, and even then, they were considered legends and hoaxes that they shouldn't believe. Thousands of years ago they weren't even considered true, just old stories, just scary legends ... Kidd had laughed when he had seen the seventh seat for the first time in the councils.

Nowadays nobody remembered the stories, no one knew who owned that seat.

But at the end of his life, all those legends came back to the redhead's head, while he returned to relive those moments, sitting in the blue scaled body of his mother while she told him stories mentally projecting the images in his head.

As she told him that the seventh dragon could...

Kidd jumped from the floor hugging Law against his body tightly, not daring to leave him for even a moment to keep the darkness at bay. The tan body had turned cold, his pulse frozen in his veins, his skin paler than Kidd's own...

But Kidd could no longer mourn over Law. It was not physically possible. Kidd refused to mourn now. He would give everything he had for Law, until there were no more options, until the darkness took him forever.

The city had disappeared around him curiously giving a vast expanse of black sand. Kidd blinked feeling his body numb and hurt. Beside him Killer and another boy stared at him surprised with something like fear and worry in their eyes. Kidd ignored them. There was no time. The darkness was consuming him and the journey will take time.

Without hesitation he transformed into the great beast of red scales that had terrorized so many people. He changed into the form in which Law had seen him for the first time and everything had begun.

This time the change hurt, Kidd felt his bones stretch, his skin break to give way to the bright scales and the huge wings, and he barely held back the cry of pain. He had no magic, had no strength and his mind was too shattered for that. But he ignored it. He had to give everything. There was no other chance. This could be a suicide, the legend could be only a legend, but Kidd could not give up, not now.

Ignoring the cries of his friend to stop, Kidd took the body of Law carefully in a claw and he raised flying in the air laden with his own magic. His whole body ached, and he didn't know if he could stand the trip, he didn't know if he could get there before the darkness consumed him, but there was no choice.

Spinning in the air, Kidd set his course to the south, to the neighboring city of Naples.

To the famous mount Vesuvius.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Learning time:
> 
> Tecnically, Orion it's not at star, it's a constelation, but it's sounded better than Batelgeuse (that come's from an arabic bad translation and means "Hand of Orion") that was the one I was going to use. But we will call it Orion, and fuck it all.
> 
> Also, for the ones that don't know, the mount Vesuvius, was thought to be the entrance to hell in a lot of old myths (after pompei people was kind of terrified of it), as well as a sacred place in honor of Hercules, the hero of the 12 labours that Disney destroyed and turned into another different story.
> 
> The number seven is also a magic number in a lot of religions: seven days of creation and seven deadly sins in the catolic religion, seven lucky gods in the japanese one, seven heavens and seven hells in islam...but it is always good and that's a curious thing.


	29. Seventh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, don't hate me, I'm very sorry.

The mount vesuvius was one of the most famous volcanoes worldwide. Although it was not the greatest, and its eruptions were not among the most deadly in history, more the fact that the stupid humans keep on living at the foot of the sleeping beast and are destroyed eruption after eruption, had given it an undeserved black legend.

Kidd flew over the famous volcano and over the bright city of Naples beside the shining Mediterranean waters lapping its small white beaches. Besides the huge metropolis, there were other cities around the volcano, small towns and even fields where farmers took advantage of the rich volcanic soil to plant their vines and olive trees.

Kidd angrily clenched his teeth. They never learn. Humans and their stupid arrogance. They believed themselves capable of withstanding the onslaught of the nature's forces without the slightest problem. Tornadoes, tsunamis and even large volcanic faults, the humans are a race that had conquered the most dangerous places on the planet in their lust for power regardless of the consequences. The ancient Romans had made that volcano the temple of their pathetic gods, they had worshiped the beast instead of fleeing from it, and consequently the beast had taken their revenge: Pompeii and Herculaneum, the cities destroyed by the eruptions had been many, and in the future there would be even more.

But Kidd at that time didn't care what humans thought or did with their pathetic lives, what he now wanted was the famous volcano. The people living on its slopes weren't going to change his plan, the witness would not provoke him the slightest problem or regrets. The life of his mate was more important.

Kidd knew however what the mountain was and how much he needed to fear this monster, if the volcano erupted for what Kidd was going to do, he and the neighboring villages would perish. If he had another option, Kidd would not go through with this and he would retreat from the place as quickly as possible, but as always, he hasn't. His life was fading with every breath he took, and when Kidd finally fell down with a clumsy flight into the deep black caldera of the volcano, hiding him and his partner from the world, Kidd couldn't believe it.

His body had limply crashed into the dark and hot rocks at the bottom in a hard landing, and with the momentum, the dragon had rolled on the ground, scratching his scales with the rough stone while trying not to crush Law with his weight. His transformation didn't last much longer then and, without magic to maintain it, Kidd regained his human form screaming in pain as he felt his bones crack into shape and shrink, and his scales disappear from his skin as if they were being torn off.

When it was over, Kidd lay still for a moment watching the sky from inside the volcano, panting heavily and feeling his head beginning to ache. The caldera formed a perfect circle of black earth that rose to the top, locking him in a natural cage that he could only escape by flying away. Blue sky shone overhead contrasting against the dark rock and beginning to be dyed black as the night came.

Kidd turned to look at Law at his side, also lying on the hot black stone of the volcano. The dark haired boy wasn't breathing, his face still had that horrible pale hue and the huge wound in his chest kept reminding Kidd about reality.

Law was dead.

Kidd felt his eyes flooding with tears again and the darkness moving inside. He had no time, he had taken too long for this little trip. Kidd doubted that he would be even able to endure one more hour in this world without Law by his side.

So, despite not having more strength left, despite simply don't having more power either physically or mentally, although he was dying, Kidd forced his body to move and sat on the rough and smoky black stone at his feet. With effort, he took Law in his arms to try to hold off the darkness and, taking a deep breath, he concentrated.

The seventh dragon was the seventh king of the seventh continent, a world that some people had called Tartarus, Kurnigia or Valhalla, but that was now commonly known as hell. A continent that didn't even exist in the current world, that had no physical space to occupy as did the rest, but that despite all that was everywhere, on the doorstep of every home, not tangible but sharing a space with the rest.

Nobody had ever seen it but yet, everyone knew about its existence. No one had ever entered or left it no matter how many legends said they had, but yet, many had tried sacrificing their lives for something impossible. Hell was a spiritual world, pure magic, a new dimension. Nobody in the world had managed to reach a sufficient level of knowledge to be able to walk in that world without a problem, even the first dragons hadn't possessed such knowledge.

Kidd was now in the very gateway to that unknown world, the door to hell, the Vesuvius. At least the ancient human empires had not been mistaken about this.

Kidd knew he couldn't go in, that would be suicidal and he won't have enough power to go into something totally unknown and then leave it with Law's soul unpunished. But if the legends which his mother had told him millennia ago were true, Kidd would not need to enter.

He would just need to force him out.

Kidd would have to call the most unknown and powerful creature in the world. One that not only walked through hell and that strange dimension with ease and with an unknown magical power, but one that also had created that seventh continent and considered himself its sovereign.

Kidd would have to invoke a legend that he wasn't even sure existed.

So the redhead took a deep breath, braced his body and his voice reverberated throughout the door of hell that was Mount Vesuvius. Pushing his voice beyond, to a dimension he couldn't even see.

"Mihawk!" He screamed the old name.

His voice echoed in the huge stone circle around him gaining even more power and increasing its volume to become a deafening scream that made the floor vibrate. The dangerous volcano trembled beneath the feet of the dragon, threatening to erupt, small explosions of rocks emerged in response to Kidd's call throwing hot stones everywhere and opening gaps to the fiery lava below. Huge gray clouds of smoke rose around Kidd, creating an almost macabre spectacle.

But nothing else happened. Nobody answered. No one answered his call.

Kidd repited the scream.

"Dracule Mihawk!" he shouted even louder.

The mount shook again dangerously under his feet and Kidd had to dodge now a stone that fell from above threatening to kill him. But nothing happened, the legend didn't appear, Kidd shouted again, again and again, until his vocal cords began to hurt, until the darkness annihilated most of his mind, until the hope began to fade and the volcano hardly seemed to be able to contain his fury.

Kidd clenched his fist and hugged Law against his chest even stronger in pure desperation.

Because, although his mother had told him the story, this did not stop being just that, a story. Likely the legendary dragon didn't exist, maybe the legends lied, maybe hell, the seventh continent just was a nice story to console the people on the brink of death, saying that there was another world, that they would not disappear in nothingness and be forgotten.

But the story, as all stories, was too nice to be true. The world was too cruel as to provide a final sweet ending. Kidd sat cross-legged with Law in his arms knowing that something like that was not possible. The seventh dragon didn't exist, nor the seventh continent. This trip had only been a desperate trick of his mind about to fade into obscurity. He had lost Law and now he himself was going to die. It was the norm. The rule. Something that could not simply be ignored.

Embracing Law's lifeless body, Kidd waited for his end, in the center of the volcano, with smoke and heat surrounding him, and his whole world shattered. Kidd simply let the darkness invade him and force the last memories he had of Law into nothingness, until Kidd just stopped fighting against his fate.

"Have you called me?" whispered a deep voice in front of him, an old voice, older than the world, fraught with immense power.

Kidd instantly raised his head incredulously.

In front of him was a man that was not a man. Tall, strong, with intense black hair fluttering with the smoke of the volcano and matching with a trimmed beard elegant and austere. His chest was bare like Kidd's, showing gleaming white skin without the slightest scar and an impressive musculature that would make the world's strongest man blush with shame.

His chest was decorated with various pendants of gold and precious stones that did not resemble anything that Kidd had seen before and that contrasted against his skin creating a strange glint on it. The stranger wore a long coat embroidered with gold thread and rubies, baggy gray pants and a heavy military boots that made the black volcano sand crunch under his feet.

Kidd was speechless for a moment as he studied him. He looked human, he was dressed like and spoke like, and clearly had the appearance of a human. But he was not human. There was something about him that raised the alarm, as if the studied appearance wasn't able to contain his true nature.

His eyes revealed the truth. They were yellow, similar to the golden tone of Kidd's ones, but unlike the red haired dragon's eyes, they had a piercing power that forced you to stop breathing. Kidd couldn't even hold his gaze more than a few seconds. Those intense eyes spoke of an ancient power, something older than the world itself or the mare universe.

Kidd, for the first time in his life, felt himself helpless in front of another creature. Like a child overwhelmed by the power of an elderly knowledge.

"Why have I been invoked?" asked then the seventh dragon folding his arms with a gesture of pure content. Kidd swallowed as he felt a panic take over his body. What had he done? What had he just released? Who was this creature?

"I…" His words were stuck in his throat as an impressive pressure prevented him from breathing "A-are you the king of hell? Dracule Mihawk?" the answer was obvious, but Kidd needed time to compose himself.

The man in front of him nodded.

"That's one of my names"

Kidd took a deep breath with difficulty. This was what he had been waiting for, his legend, his miracle, he could not give up now, he needed to do what he had come to do. Although he had no time left, although it may be too late.

Raising his head, the redhead faced the mythical creature, and for the first time in his life he begged.

"My name is Eustass Kidd" he forced himself to say it with a firm voice "please give me back my mate"

.

.

.

Mihawk watched the couple in front of him slightly bored. For millennia no one had awakened him from his slumber seeking his help, there has been eons since he had set foot in the world and because of that, the dragon had thought that the mortals had finally forgotten him, that his work and magic was no longer necessary for those creatures, and since then he had been resting from his ancient life. His old mind was bored of living, to wait for something that from the start, he had sensed, would never be granted to him.

Mihawk simply had departed from the existence to refuge in a world that really did not exist.

He had been the first of them all, the purest, the strongest. He had been created out of nothingness when the universe had not even yet existed, he had seen the constellations flood the sky, galaxies and life emerge, he had seen a thousand worlds disappear and give place to others. He no longer remembered the civilizations he had lived in, the thousands of creatures he had shared moments with, the millennials he had lived through.

But the old dragon was tired of everything, tired of an endless life. All other creatures lived a full life, grew, loved, fought for their dreams and finally rested in the absolute peace that Mihawk give them. Instead he did not, he had to watch them all go, he had to witness the battles, the empires, the thousands of love stories without enjoying his own, without a partner, without really savoring life. His power was immense, far more than the universe itself, but such power had its consequences and its own burdens.

His burdens had lately become too heavy.

So again, now in this little world, Mihawk watched the red-haired creature wearily. This world had changed since the last time he had set foot in it. There were new creatures, some that looked like him but that were galaxies and universes away from matching him.

"I cannot do that" he told the creature on the brink of death, who was sitting before him pleading for his partner, asking something Mihawk couldn't give.

The creature was strong, one of the brightest Mihawk had seen, but still, his knowledge was no more than the one of a recently born child. He hardly knew magic, he didn't understand its rules, its laws, he did not know what he was asking for. Mihawk saw the desperation in his young face at his response, he saw his hands tighten over the lifeless body of his other half and return to beg in panic. With the missing link shattering him slowly.

"Why not? Aren't you the king of hell? The legendary dragon? Aren't you supposed to be able to do anything?" said the young man with a broken voice and his eyes on the verge of tears, and with his life disappearing in front of the eyes of the ancient creature.

Mihawk had then a slight envy of him. He had never felt anything so intense, he had not known despair or the pain of losing someone dear. Those emotions had died out centuries ago in a sea of indifference. Mihawk had lived too long, there was nothing that fascinated him, there was nothing to thrill him anymore.

"Things are not so easy boy" said at last the ancient dragon "I can bring him back, but to return a life, I need to take another, there has to be a balance in the world, I can not alter the order of things, nor may I create something out from nothing" he explained.

Mihawk could practically see the hope of the boy vanish into nothingness, finally breaking into a thousand pieces. The flame of his life flickered, he barely had minutes left before he followed his other half to the eternal rest.

Mihawk knew that the boy would not offer to kill someone to bring his mate back. That would be too much for him, to take an innocent life in exchange of another was seriously too much to ask. Mihawk saw the soul of the boy perfectly, he had ideals too pure to commit such an atrocity, even if it was for his partner, the redhead had suffered too much to sink further into the darkness of the world and betray himself.

Mihawk turned around ready to leave, willing to leave those two souls to their fate that the universe had decided. They were only two insignificant grains of sand on the beach that was the huge universe. Their loss would mean absolutely nothing, the world would not change its course just for them, Mihawk had looked death in the face many times, he knew losing someone did not change anything.

It was then, when his mind had turned to sink slowly into the eternal slumber from which he had been awakened, that two things happened at once.

The first one - which completely startled him - was when he felt a little tug on his own soul. A jolt, as if something had hit him, forever changing him, awakening, returning him to life as he had never expected to do. As if something had connected to his soul. For a moment, the world of the legendary dragon seemed to stop while in his mind appeared a single image: a man, even younger than the little dragon in front of him, with a bright smile and tanned skin kissed by the pleasant sun of this world, with strange green hair, and three earrings in one ear.

Mihawk felt a strange warmth invade him just with that image and not knowing why, he put it in the depths of his mind like a treasure that should be preserved.

Secondly, behind him, the young dragon raised his head and looked at him with a determined expression, surprising him one last time. Showing him that there were forces much stronger than magic or the pure power he possessed.

"I'll sacrifice myself" Kidd stated "take my life and save my partner"

.

.

.

Kidd watched the strange man looking at him for a long moment, as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard. However, Kidd's mind was not working as he wanted and his time was running out. His eyes began to blur, Law's body seemed suddenly too heavy and the headache only increased.

"Hurry" he said in a last whisper while he barely managed to keep his arms around Law.

The ancient creature looked at him as if trying to understand him and not doing it. As if deciding whether he should do it or not, as if making sure of something that Kidd didn't understand.

"Would you really sacrifice yourself for your partner?" asked the man still doing nothing, without helping, without returning Law to life.

Kidd fell to the ground without power, and panting heavily. Lying on the burning rocky floor without even being able to move, Kidd continued hugging Law without letting him go in the least.

"Yes" he said breathlessly before closing his eyes "Always"

Law deserved everything. He would sacrifice himself again and again if it was needed.

The last image of the world that the dragon had was of Law's face, his closed eyes, his lips stained with black blood, his skin softer than porcelain, pale and lifeless. Kidd smiled sadly. Nevertheless it was a good death, the best picture that he could take to the next world.

Kidd closed his eyes and regretted nothing. Law would live and that was all he needed to know before saying goodbye, before remembering his own family, his own life and everything that had happened. It had been worth it. To give his life for Law totally worthed it.

When Kidd felt the darkness take control of his soul, the dragon once felt a strange old power surround him and grow, until it turned into something unbearably, oppressive, painful. Kidd continued watching it grow, with more and more pressure until it broke him in half snatching something that was of vital importance to him.

Kidd screamed in pain, but he no longer had a body that emitted the slightest sound.

Then all just turned into nothingness.

.

.

.

Law sat upright, feeling that he had lost something important. Pain instantly flooded his body and he put a face as his bones creaked. His joints were stiff as if he had been days without using them, his chest ached when breathing and he felt his mind still mired in misery.

Law blinked confused looking around uncomprehendingly.

High walls of black stone surrounded him in a perfect circle that strangely resembled the caldera of a volcano, the ground beneath his body was warm, and large clouds of smoke ascended to the sky as an announcement of what was about to happen. Beside him was a strange man with black hair looking at him with curiosity and a slight frown, but who said absolutely nothing as Law sat on the floor trying to clarify his mind.

Where was he? Who was this man? The last thing he remembered was being fighting Kidd in the Pantheon, the reconciliation, then pain and Kidd's horrified face and ...

He had died.

Law was sure of that. He had died, he had seen the sword through his chest annihilating his life with a single blow, he had felt his broken heart, the blood escaping from his body snatching his life. It was impossible to survive such a blow, Law knew it, unless ...

"Kidd?" he asked alarmed watching his surroundings with a horrible hunch.

And then he saw him, lying beside him on the dark black stone, with that beautiful face dirtied with dust, blood and what appeared to be tears. One of his arms was still circling around Law's waist and Kidd just appeared to be sleeping, prey of the fatigue, over the caldera of a volcano about to erupt.

Law stroked the dragon cheek still not understanding where he was or what had happened.

His blood froze in his veins as he felt the icy temperature of the redheaded against his fingertips. Kidd was cold, too cold, much colder than what a dragon should be. Law's mind instantly went on alert and, kneeling on the floor with difficulty, he turned Kidd's body face up to check that he didn't have any wounds. The redhead seemed fine at first, but...

"Kidd!" LawI again called, shaking him slightly, trying to wake him.

Kidd didn't wake up, he didn't respond to his pleas and he just stayed unconscious on the floor as if he was really dead. Frozen. Law's hands started shaking violently realizing what was happening. The dark haired boy didn't dare to check Kidd's vitals, fearing the worst. But no. No. Kidd couldn't be dead. After all that had happened, after what they had done, Kidd could not die.

Law would never forgive him.

Law dropped on Kidd's chest limply as tears came to his eyes without his permission and his whole body began to shake in a panic attack. Why had he died? Why was Law alive? Perhaps he had sacrificed for him? This idiot, Kidd couldn't die, Law was worthless, he had surrendered, but Kidd was important for the whole world, he deserved to live, he deserved to continue enjoying life, having a family, having friends with whom to laugh.

"Idiot" he whispered as he pounded without force onto the dragon's chest, his tears falling down his cheeks to Kidd's body, carrying blood, dust and utter sadness. The person he loved the most in the world was dead, the one without which he didn't want to live, had left him alone.

"Idiot!" he repeated louder, as the tears didn't stop to escape, as the pain took possession of his soul devouring everything in its path while his hands hugged the body of the most wonderful person he'd ever met.

Law wept in the intense silence of the place, while the volcano under him seemed to turn silent before Law's pain and anger, while the strange man of strange eyes still watched them silently without saying a word.

Suddenly the body under him quivered and a faint whisper flooded the place.

"I can't breathe"

Law raised from Kidd's body instantly and looked at him wide-eyed as the redhead opened his golden eyes slightly, and smiled at Law looking tired.

"Y-you're alive" he said in disbelief while tears kept falling from his surprised eyes, and with the pain of the lost still present in his chest.

Ignoring everything, Law instantly rushed to embrace his other half.

Kidd laughed, and the sound seemed more like a whimper of pain, but even so, he also returned Law's hug, pulling him against his body and burying his head in his neck, inhaling his scent and sighing with pleasure. The redhead's skin still was icy, almost without rightful brightness, but he was alive, he was hugging Law, his lips pressed against the old mark on Law's neck that despite everything hadn't disappeared.

Kidd was alive. That was all that mattered to Law at the time.

"Yes" Kidd whispered with that faint voice as he kissed fondly Law's soaked cheek, wiping away the tears that still escaped, while Law was still trembling in the arms of the dragon, still too impressed by what had almost just happened. However with the confession, Kidd frowned "I don't understand, how...?"

The strange black-haired man interrupted Kidd.

"Magic is something complicated" he said with a serious voice "It's not just a weapon that you can use, no matter what the world believes, it is something that is alive and has its own mind. It was true that, for bringing your partner back, a sacrifice was required, but you gave something even more valuable. To offered your own life to save someone is not something that everyone can do" the old man said.

Law, in his arms, raised his head and looked stunned with a mixture of disbelief and anger. His body trembled, Kidd didn't know whether of emotion or fury, but Kidd felt his pulse, felt his warmth, his breathing, and consequently he felt his own breath get caught in his throat with how right and perfect the world looked again.

"You have sacrificed yourself for me?!" Yeah, definitely it was anger in Law's voice, but still his mate kept hugging him, not letting Kidd go for even a second from his side. Kidd was okay with all this.

So Kidd ignored him, unable to endure everything that having his partner in his arms again was doing to him, and instead he looked at the man in the cloak who was watching them with a slightly amused expression.

"So you gave us both life?" He asked confused, not wanting to leave any loose thread that could come back to hurt them.

"No" The creature of yellow eyes responded instantly "That would be to give you more than you have offered. What was done was to divide the soul and the life that has been offered in two and give half of it to your partner and the other to you. Now both of you form a whole, the two sides of the same coin, you have lost strength and power, but in exchange, your partner has returned to your side stronger than ever, immortal, like you" said in the end the dragon.

Kidd nodded, feeling enormously grateful for the enormous gift he had just been given. An eternity with Law was more than his mind could process right now. It was too much. Too perfect.

"Thank you" he said finally, moved.

"Don't thank me" said the older man "I have done nothing, I've only been the intermediary, take care of your partner, because if you ever lose him again, this time there will be no second chances"

Kidd nodded, hugging Law possessively while the former exorcist dug his nails into his skin, now even angrier after hearing the conversation. The strange being, however, gave them a last look fraught with something like envy, before disappearing into nothingness, leaving them alone in the crater of the volcano.

Shortly after, Kidd felt Law stroking his hair almost obsessively, running his fingers through the messy locks of red hair with a strange care. Kidd felt again the warmth flooding him when the exorcist also lowered his head into his neck to bite at Kidd possessively and angrily. The dragon felt strangely exhausted and weak after what had happened, so he just sighed as he felt Law press against his lying body, surrounded by his arm and where he should be protected. He had done it. Law was alive. Everything had ended well.

"You're an idiot" Law whispered hoarsely as he continued handing out kisses and bites over the delicate skin of his neck, as if he couldn't decide whether to be angry or grateful "Why did you sacrifice yourself for me? Why…?"

Law embraced him even stronger, unable to finish the sentence with such emotions, and Kidd smiled at the blue sky that was beginning to be covered with stars. How long had he been unconscious? How long had Law been weeping over his lifeless body? Kidd hated himself for doing something like this, yet he wasn't sorry in the least for what he had done. He would save Law thousand times, he would give him his soul, half after half, to the tiniest part if that got him safe.

Forcing Law to lift his head from his neck, and feeling his own body too weak to do more, Kidd joined their mouths carefully. With all the love he could show, Kidd kissed his partner for a long time, reveling in the texture of his mouth, a taste he never thought he would be able to taste again. With his one hand, Kidd brushed the hair from Law's eyes, wiping the tears and turning his head to deepen the kiss in a way that made the dark haired boy sigh.

Law melted against his body, his fingers again grabbing his hair as if he was unable to release him. He only sighed when Kidd deepened the kiss even more, taking him in his mouth as if he needed nothing else than the dragon to live. Groaning slightly when Kidd licked his lips slow and seductively, giving him a little moment to recover before returning to attack him even harder this time. Kidd dominated him completely, once again he reclaimed Law as his own, and made up for all that Law had to suffer because of him.

When they separated, Law's look worth his life and a thousand more.

"Because it was totally worth it" he finally answered Law's question. Because Kidd's life didn't count half of what this wonderful creature's life counted for.

Law closed his eyes as another tear fell down his face. But now he was smiling. Flopping back over Kidd, Law embraced him again as if to never let go and sank back his head in his neck.

"You're the worst" he then told to the shattered dragon.

Kidd smiled slightly.

"I know" Kidd said because it was the truth, because he had virtually annihilated the world to see his partner again, because he had exceeded the rules of magic, because he had made Law suffer.

"I love you" Law continued even without moving from his position, without looking at his face, shaking in his arms.

Kidd looked at the sky above him, now with bright stars shining on blue velvet background. Everything seemed right, everything was perfect, Law was alive, his life made sense again.

Everything was fine.

"I love you too" Kidd finally whispered against Law's ear while a huge smile filled his face, that smile plagued with teeth that he didn't remember having used for a long time, one that was now stained with blood and tears "More than anything in the world"


	30. Destiny

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, ladies and gentelmen, this is the last chapter of the fic, thanks a lot for following it till the end, and for the support you have given me, I never though I would have so much follow ups and likings in with this story, after all it was in a language that's not my mother one, and one that I don't speak very well. So thank you a lot, really, to my betas, to the people who created fan art, to everyone. I have almost wrote a bible and it's taken me four years, but at the end it's finished and I'm a bit sad now.
> 
> As always, if I left something unconcluded or without an answer, please contact me and I will try to correct it.

One year later.

Kidd groaned again when he thrusted back into his partner pushing him against the soft mattress of the bed they shared. The dragon never got tired of this, the feel of Law under him, whimpering, pleading, melting with every new orgasm and on the verge of unconsciousness, with his beautiful gray eyes clouded with pleasure and the erotic moans inundating the room. It was something that encouraged him to wake up every morning.

"Kidd...please, no more" Law again plead while the redhead's moves became increasingly erratic, harder, as Kidd began to get lost in the heat of his other half.

Kidd gasped again feeling the edge of the longed climax, but refusing to let go.

The sun has not even begun to raise on the sky, and Law still had his legs opened for his personal enjoyment. Kidd didn't even remember falling asleep, they had been doing it all night, relentlessly, Kidd was exhausted, he didn't believed he would be able to come again, but he would not stop until Law was satisfied, until the other fell unconscious in his arms, surrendering to sleep.

Because this night was different from all others.

Today was the anniversary of the tragedy and, although everyone really was celebrating the victory over their enemies, the return of Law from the dead, and the beginning of this new life, for both of them this celebration just brought them back the memories of what had happened before.

Kidd had spent all day looking at Law's darkened eyes, he had felt it through the bond they shared, the other's mind immersed in thoughts of torture and punishment, in the thousands of atrocities that were committed under the name of the Order. While others were celebrating the old battle and while now they practically worshiped them as gods for having conquered death itself, Law had been suffering his own hell.

Kidd always knew that what had happened to them would leave a scar, it would always be a trauma for both of them, but still, Kidd was not going to surrender to the bad memories.

Therefore, the old dragon had not hesitated to take his partner that way tonight, making him squirm with pleasure to unconsciousness, making him forget the bad times and focus only on the kisses Kidd devoted him.

Kidd stroked again that tanned and soft skin that a year ago he had so missed, the one that occupied his wildest dreams. Kidd kissed those lips that whispered his name, pressed those perfect buttocks in his hands, pressing his partner more against his own body.

Law returned to arch in the bed in another small orgasm. Kidd watched his eyes close tightly, his whole body tense and his mouth let out a frustrated gasp. Kidd smirked as he watched the heavy golden bracelets that bound the wrists of his beloved partner to the headboard of his bed.

When Akainu had turned those bracelets into handcuffs to capture the dragon, the old man had corrupted the precious symbol they were, but after recovering them after the battle, Kidd had set his mind into returning them to its true meaning. Those little gold bracelets had been the beginning of their relationship, the first gift of truth that Kidd had given Law, the ones that had sealed the bond. Kidd refused to let them rot in a dungeon with resentment of what had happened, he refused to continue giving the slightest control to Akainu.

Now he was glad that he had recovered them. Seeing them again contrasting against the dark skin of Law, seeing the strong grip on the chain linking the heavy rings of pure gold, unsuccessfully trying to break it, was something totally worth it.

Kidd bent over his partner and nibbled at one of those sensitive lobes. His hands were still clutching the thighs of the other, opening him until it almost hurt, with his new metal arm holding the other who writhed under his hands desperately, wanting to let go.

But it was worth everything for Law.

In this position, although the arm would break, Kidd could go deeper than ever into the other, he could drive him crazy with only a few thrusts, leaving and entering him as if his life depended on it. In that position he could kiss him, see his face as he reached his orgasm again and again, he could see that beautiful body fully exposed and helpless under him, listen to their entreaties and just be happy.

Kidd groaned again knowing that he did not have much more stamina to continue this.

"What do you have to say?" he asked again approaching the ear of the other and pulling at one of the earrings while refusing to stop his assault.

Law under him trembled from head to toe with a powerful shudder.

"Fuck you, I will not say it" Law replied frustrated with a tight and weak voice. Kidd knew then he had practically won that game and smiled heartily.

"Are you sure? Are you sure you don't want to cum after all this time? Are you sure you have nothing to say?" said the redhead teasing him and feeling Law frustrated whimpering under him.

Kidd accelerated his thrusts even more, then hitting that point inside Law that made him scream of pure pleasure, hitting him with absolute precision in that position, making Law bucle on the bed with a groan of suffering after the lack of pity of the redhead.

"All right!" said the prisoner with hate, before reciting in a monotone voice "Kidd is the best in bed. Kidd has the biggest and most perfect cock. Kidd is the only one able to make me scream and beg every night for more. Kidd ... "

Kidd laughed into Law's ear, interrupting him helplessly, after hearing him recite the stupidest phrase that had occurred to the dragon when starting everything. Raising his head and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, Kidd couldn't help but tease his partner under him a bit more, who was groaning in that incredible and desperate way.

"You really think so?" the redhead asked entertained, rubbing his nose against the exorcist's one.

"I hate you!" Law answered with his face red and a mingled look of hatred and pleasure "Take it off for once!"

Kidd just laughed again as he finally lowered Law's legs, and freed him of the bracelets. Then, holding and looking into his eyes showing him how much he loved him, Kidd slowly pulled off the ring from his partner's member that had prevented him to come.

The scratches on his back the next day, the bites on his neck and a broken bed, had fully paid off and assured him that the dark haired boy had completely forgotten all that Kidd had wanted him to forget.

.

.

.

If there was something that Law didn't like about his wonderful new life with the dragon it was the family. But not Kidd's family, Law had curiously found a friend in Kidd's brother from the first moment they have meet, they shared a love for books and had spent hours chatting about a thousand topics that bored Kidd. No, Killer was not a problem, it was Law's own family that the ex-exorcist couldn't stand.

Doflamingo had been living with them for some months now.

At the beginning things had gone well, Law had been grateful to recover a person who had been like a father to him, and he had loved to share his wonderful new life with the blond man who now had nothing left in Rome and just needed to spend time with his reborn nephew. Kidd and Doflamingo had quickly become inseparables and they had even allied to tease Law sometimes. The exorcist remembered trainings and bizarre suicidal sessions where he had to decided who won, Kidd or Doflamingo, then there had been the culinary fights, one trying to win over the other in everything they could.

Still, things had completely changed when Doflamingo had told them about his new relationship with the town mayor.

Being in the valley without really having something to do, the bored blonde had ended up visiting the small town of reconstructed houses. The ensuing meeting with the mayor was inevitable and, apparently, the blonde had grown fond of that horrible man at first sight.

When Kidd had heard the news, his camaraderie with blonde had ended completely. The fights had started instantly and Law, often, had ended up having sex sessions with Kidd for days to get the possessive and overprotective redhead calm again. Kidd saw danger in the relationship the blond had with the mayor, and after all they had gone through, he became quite aggressive over little things.

Kidd blamed the strange man of what had happened and simply did not understand why Doflamingo wanted to be with him. Kidd thought Crocodile was manipulating Doflamingo and trying to take revenge on them in a subtle way.

Law meanwhile didn't know what to think.

The situation was tense in itself, but what had really riled Law up in the recent weeks was the continuous interruptions of his beloved uncle at the most inopportune moments. The blond seemed to have ended up deciding that if he couldn't have sex, they didn't deserve it either, because unfortunately, his relationship with the mayor didn't seem to be going through a good phase.

"Oh my god, are you back at it again? Can't you even stop for a minute?" Doflamingo shrieked indignantly, as he entered the huge room flooded by water that was the bathroom.

Law felt his face turn red instantly, and Kidd groaning beneath him, desperately and on the verge of killing Doflamingo.

Law in the water sat chest-to-chest in the lap of the dragon with his legs opened to both sides, and his arms around the strong neck of the beast. Law only needed push up with his legs and roll his hips to ride the huge and beautiful cock of the Dragon as he had needed for days.

Kidd, on his part, had disposed his metal arm and now was totally unable to cover Law's nakedness and what they were doing. The picture was more than clear, there wasn't even steam or foam from the hot water to hide them from the eyes of his uncle.

Law turned to look at Doflamingo horrified, as he felt through the bond they shared, the deadly and overprotective instincts took over Kidd with that dark and possessive tone. No one but Kidd could see his naked partner in this situation.

His uncle would die.

"Doffy!" Exclaimed Law with a terrified face.

Doflamingo at the door, half naked and clearly prepared to bathe, crossed his arms dramatically without the slightest intention of leaving the place. Kidd growled dangerously against Law's neck and the mark there as a silent alert.

Law couldn't help but get aroused and scared at the same time, however, his uncle seemed oblivious or ignorant to all this.

"Don't look at me like that, Law, it's not my fault" Doflamingo said, rolling his eyes "and God, I also bath in there, can't you have any decency? That's disgusting!"

Law couldn't contain the gasp that escaped his mouth when Kidd bit his neck and finally squeezed his back with his one hand, encouraging him to continue the session. Law realized that instinct had taken over his mind, completely denying every logical thought. Law could already see the redhead fucking him in front of his uncle to show him that Law was his.

Definitely something totally stupid and unnecessary.

"Go. Away" Law roared as he tried to contain Kidd, who again pressed on him even harder to make him move and return to fuck him senselessly. Thank God the redhead now didn't have both his hands so it would be easier to control him if he tried something.

Doflamingo however continued ignoring him.

"But…"

Law screamed again.

"Get out!"

This time Doflamingo jumped in place and frowned, clearly pissed off by the response of his nephew. Yet, in the end, he turned and started to leave the place muttering under his breath.

"I'm disappointed, Law" he shouted before disappearing through the labyrinthine corridors of the cave "I didn't educated you like this"

Law was tempted to show him the finger, or curse him for life. However, Kidd, in front of him, finally seemed to relax and loosened his grip on Law. Law returned to embrace him and to sink his fingers into that beautiful red hair, now wet, trying to calm him and show him that he didn't need to do those things; that he will always belong to him.

"I think it's time for him to leave" said Law at the end as he began to move his hips again in a perfect motion.

Kidd groaned against his neck returning to bite him slightly, still a bit flooded with the possessiveness.

"Next time I won't care if he's seeing us, I will not let him stop us, you're my partner and I can fuck you when I want and where I want." growled Kidd against his neck making Law smirk pleased and accelerate the pace "At first I believed that he did that to annoy us, but now it's clear that he only does it to protect you"

To protect him? Law frowned at those words. Why would Doflamingo want to protect him? It was true that, years ago, Law had been just a kid and had known nothing about sex and relationships. But that was far behind, by God, Law had returned from death itself, he didn't understand where this was coming from now, he was an adult, and it had been more than demonstrated that Kidd was not going to hurt him.

"Why would he protect me now?" Law asked entertained against Kidd's mouth, feeling the other squeeze his ass again and caress the point where their bodies joined, making Law moan.

"... Some ... adults, just don't accept that their children grow up" said the redhead with a face of satisfaction at Law's wail. He then pulled at Law's hair forcing him to throw his head back, and then proceeded to bite his neck further "do you remember Shanks?"

Law nodded suddenly prey of terror. If Doflamingo was overprotective of Law, Shanks was a thousand times more protective of Kidd. The weeks that the old dragon had been visiting them with his very pregnant wife had been one of the most terrifying ones of Law's live. Thank God Law had helped his wife when she had suddenly went into labour and now not only had he earned the approval and respect of Shanks, but Dragon, King of Africa, also seemed to have adopted him as part of his family for helping his daughter.

Law returned to bury his face in the dragon's hair, in his scent, trying to think through the pleasure. Maybe Doflamingo wanted to protect him - Law doubted it - but still that was no reason to do this kind of thing.

"I don't think ... that Doflamingo wants to protect me exactly ... it's a little late to do that" said Law at last feeling the brink of orgasm.

"No, now I ... I don't think so" Kidd said as his hips were also beginning to move in response to the rise and fall of Law's hips, coming nearer that strange no-returning point where he was about to cum inside him.

"He… has to go" Law sentenced, starting to run out of breath, his hands seemed unable to stop walking over the body of his partner, which he had spent days without touching thanks to his beloved family.

"Definitely" said the redhead reaching the orgasm and finally falling apart between his hands with a groan.

.

.

.

Zoro shifted in dreams feeling terribly tired. His legs and arms weighed, his head was spinning, and his mouth was awefully dry and pasty. The young exorcist frowned with difficulty feeling extremely confused. What had happened to him to end up in that state? For years something like this had not happen to him, his extensive training and missions prevented him from tiredness, and as far as he remembered, he had not done anything strenuous enough in recent days to end up this way.

Turning his head, Zoro opened his eyes to meet the strange roof of a cave. Large stalactites were hanging from the ceiling like spikes of dark red earth and scale, and in the light of the huge fireplace at his side, they seemed to dance above his head dangerously. Zoro observe his environment realizing he was in a bed, covered with heavy blankets of fabrics that he had never seen before but that were soft and warm to the touch, and surrounded by spongy cushions that would be the dream of every woman.

The trained exorcist remained still for a moment simply focusing on the environment and trying to remember how he had gotten there.

It was then when he realized that his weapons had disappeared along with the rest of his belongings from his room, the green haired boy didn't even have the heavy combat boots that had helped him in his fights. Under the covers, he could feel that he was wearing only thin silk trousers that would be totally useless in combat.

That was a great disadvantage in this situation, but all that vanished from his mind, when Zoro head turned to the other side to find a strange man with black hair and dark skin sitting beside the bed and looking at him intently.

Zoro trembled beneath that look, feeling terribly helpless for some strange reason.

"Do not worry, I will not hurt you, Roronoa" said the man, rising from his chair and approaching him to sit with an elegant move on the bed where Zoro lay.

Zoro watched the stranger, his strange clothes, his trimmed beard and bare chest showing an impressive musculature as scarred as his own. Zoro relaxed without knowing why, and just closed his eyes when the man walked a warm hand through his hair and his cheek in a gentle caress that somehow felt familiar.

His mind was still dazed, as if it now beared a huge weight that Zoro still couldn't decipher. He felt tired and despite the strange situation and strange surroundings, he just wanted to close his eyes and sleep under the caresses of the suspicious stranger who knew his name.

Raising a hand from under the covers and forcing himself to concentrate, Zoro stopped the hand that was stroking his face with that creepy delicacy.

"W-who are you?" He asked in a tired but firm voice.

The stranger just smiled and aligned their foreheads in a too intimate gesture for Zoro's liking. Zoro observed the strange golden eyes again, those which left him breathless, those which spoke of something ancient and powerful. The exorcist again felt the weight increase on his soul and his eyes closed.

"Someone who has been waiting for you for too long" answered the other against his lips, making Zoro tremble when feeling his warm breath on his mouth "You can call me Mihawk"

Before falling back into unconsciousness, Zoro felt the other's lips pressing for a short second against his in something that could not even be called a kiss. Zoro felt his skin prickle by that simple contact, as if awakening from a long sleep, he felt his whole body warm up and beg for something that he didn't even understand, begging for more.

From his mouth escaped a sad moan then, a silent plea, but it was too late and that strange pressure finally made his mind give in and fall into unconsciousness.

.

Kidd entered the huge kitchen to meet Law sitting on the oak table surrounded by letters. The tablecloth of maroon velvet was caressing his skin and even the silverware contrasted against his body in a magical show of lights and shadows. Kidd felt something contract in his chest just by seeing him again in a familiar scene, having breakfast, protected and alive in the depths of his beloved cave.

Going further into the room, smiling, totally happy, Kidd then noticed a small detail: Law was still wearing the golden handcuffs. Kidd had used them previous evening again, but the dark haired exorcist didn't seem to want to remove them yet. Kidd felt his blood boil only by seeing them on him, only to remember that Doflamingo had finally gotten out of his home and gone to his new life and, finally, he could do whatever he wanted with Law without anyone judging him.

"Good morning" he said at last, approaching his partner and stealing a long and insinuating kiss from those delicious lips.

Law smiled warmly as he keep reading the letter on the table.

"Good morning, sexy" purred the exorcist in response against his mouth.

Kidd then wanted another kiss, to get lost again in the body of his partner, to show him what would happen if he provoked him so early in the morning. Although after seeing the lopsided smile of Law, his mate seemed fully aware of what was going through his mind. It was one of the problems of the new bond they shared, Law seemed able to read the intense emotions and thoughts that Kidd had, as well as Kidd could do with those of Law.

There was hardly room for surprises or privacy, although there was still room for other inventions. The first time that Law had masturbated Kidd had been flying and had literally crashed into the ground with what had been happening through the link.

That Law had done it on purpose had only made things worse.

"Have you had your breakfast?" asked then the redhead getting away from his partner and torturing him back. If Law wanted to play, he would play.

"No" Law quickly said scowling behind him, clearly disappointed by his lack of reaction.

"How about some pancakes?" asked Kidd as he added some oak logs to the kitchen fire to stir it up a little.

The dark, warm look of Law was the only answer that the dragon needed. Since that first time in the kitchen -that first time where Kidd had made the decision to court Law- they had not returned to play with the food. There had been a few times, but never as intense as the first, and Law clearly seemed to want to finish what they had started that first time.

So Kidd would cook food for his partner, would offer the best he could prepare to the other as he deserved. He would look and consent him as Kidd loved to do and then, he himself would have his own feast. Law was still wearing the handcuffs and Kidd didn't want to waste it.

In a comfortable but impatient silence, Kidd began cooking while Law kept reading at the table. Neither said anything, but Kidd felt the perfectly famished looks of the other on his back and more specifically, on his ass. He had only put on his underwear when he got out of the bed, as usual, and clearly, Law's attention was dispersing today very easily.

Kidd couldn't help but smile when he turned, arrogant, with a huge plate of pancakes covered with strawberry jam and cream. Kidd knew the bulge between his own legs was evident with the thin garment, but still he did nothing to hide it. A surprised and dark look from Law told him how much the other was appreciating the spectacle.

He sat in front of Law at the thin table, leaving two plates between them and delighted at the surprised look of Law at the delicacies. Kidd knew Law loved the food he made, but Kidd loved to see the look of adoration the other always put on every time he tasted something. Clearly his life with the Code had prevented him from enjoying such pleasures of life, but Kidd was loving to teach them to him.

Law's hands then rose from the table abandoning the letter and rushing to the plate. Just as Kidd expected and planned. Smirking, Kidd took a sharp knife and quickly dug it between Law's outstretched hands into wood, nailing the tip through one of the links of the gold chain and trapping Law with the handcuffs to the table.

Law raised an amused eyebrow at the gesture again, understanding what Kidd planned, but Kidd just smiled, shrugged and took with his fingers one of the pancakes covered with jam. Folding it in half, he gave it to the dark haired man with a clear intention.

Law ate it from his fingers without hesitation, stuffing his mouth full and licking the jam and cream dipping of Kidd's fingers. Kidd felt his cock harden under the table only by seeing Law's tongue sucking his fingers so greedily, seeing the intense look he was giving him and which was practically daring him to fuck him right there.

But that would only end the game very fast. Law backed away after a moment, and Kidd took another pancake, this time for himself. He ate it hungrily under Law's watchful eyes.

"What were you reading?" He then asked as if nothing was happening between them, and making Law frown again frustrated.

"It's a letter from Penguin" said Law however, quickly understanding the game "They are having some problems"

" Killer will help him" Kidd said with a shrug quickly giving another pancake to Law, dirtying his perfect mouth with cream and strawberries in a lewd manner.

That's exactly the problem" Law then said, gloating in a way that should not be legal "Apparently he is harassing and pressing Penguin too much"

Kidd returned to shrug.

"It's normal, Penguin is Killer's mate, it is normal that he would press to get him, I also did it to you"

Law in front of him frowned, momentarily forgetting their little game. It had been over a year since the two of them had left Rome to never return, but Penguin and other exorcists had remained there, trying to fix the shattered city, raising the old temples and new homes, because if the world saw what had occurred, the persecutions would begin again.

The reconstruction at the end had been so quick, so precise, that the citizens who had decided to return home, had barely believed what they had seen and had accounted the tragedy that had occurred as a hallucination or a strange dream.

Life had returned to normal in Rome and the organization of exorcists had changed course. Following the resignation of Doflamingo, the organization had been left to Penguin, who, along with Killer, had handled the clans and herds of the city, and had managed to establish peace.

Or so Kidd had thought.

"It's not as easy" Law said "It has been very clear that Penguin has not broken the code like the rest of exorcists, he can joke and laugh, but there's still something dark inside him" said Law with a worried face.

"Killer will help him, I don't know anyone more stubborn than him, they will be fine" Kidd responded quickly trying to take that weight off his partner.

"Kidd" Law then said in a serious voice, without really looking at him "... there are times when the code is required, there are people who have gone through terrible things, tragedies that the mind of an ordinary man can not understand. These minds are so broken, so full of hatred and traumas, that the code is all that allows them to live a normal life... I don't think Penguin is going to break the code, he was not forced to follow it as the rest, he accepted it willingly, it was the only way he could live with his conscience, without emotions"

Kidd understood the dilemma, understood what Law meant. But he knew that everything would be fine, if he had been able to get Law off the tragedy he lived, so could Killer. Some couples were predestined to be with each other. But it was useless to say anything to Law, the redhead knew he would still worry about his friend.

Taking another pancake from the dish he gave it to Law forcing him to eat and get distracted.

"Are all the cards from Penguin?" Kidd tried to distract him.

"No" Law answered with his mouth full "There are others from Perona, they still cannot find Zoro"

That was an issue that troubled Kidd. After the war, the dragon had met the green-haired boy, a friend of Law. Clearly the guy was smart and incredibly strong, though his sense of direction had been more than lousy. Kidd had been amused by that fact, though, by then, there had been nothing to worry about, after all, the guy always seemed to be able to find his destination in one way or another.

So when seven months ago the guy with green hair had disappeared by magic without leaving the slightest trace, especially since the green-haired boy seemed to have been sleeping with his companion on a mission and with the door locked when he disappeared. Kidd knew exorcists, Perona had been in the same room as Zoro, it was impossible that she had not seen the boy leave.

Kidd looked at Law without really knowing what to say, both knew that there was only one being able to enter and leave a room without leaving the slightest trace, the only one able to kidnap an exorcist without waking another. But that didn't make sense, what would such a legendary creature as Mihawk want from a single exorcist?

"... Something more?" continued Kidd inadvertently, not wanting to talk about it. If Mihawk had the boy, there was nothing they could do for him, Kidd just trusted his instinct that told him that Mihawk was not someone to worry about.

"Yes," Law said after a tense moment of silence "you also have one from Ace"

This time Kidd smiled remembering the boy who Marco had subtly kidnapped and taken back to Australia with him. The dark-haired boy, from the first moment they had met, had been terrified by the intense and direct looks the dragon send his way, and he had clearly misread the whole situation. Kidd had had a great time watching the couple together, watching Marco trying vainly to court the boy, giving him weapons and poisons he thought the exorcist, as a soldier, would appreciate, or spending time trying to touch him or kiss him to start something.

Still the best was the human boy. Kidd was convinced that Ace was convinced that Marco wanted to kill him. His pale and terrified face when unwrapping the gifts had been a strong evidence, the face of pure suffering every time Marco was entering his personal space, trying to intimidate him into submission had made Kidd laugh for hours. Ace even had punched Marco in the face when the dragon had wanted to kiss him and, according to the boy, everything has been in self-defense.

Kidd, like the rest of the army and even Law, had have fun seeing the misunderstanding between them, and the truth is that no one was surprised when Marco, tired of not getting anything, had simply decided to leave, taking the boy with him.

Kidd laughed as he took another pancake and nibbled at it. Their game had been forgotten because of other issues, but Law remained motionless on the table and Kidd could crouch under the table and return him the incredible blowjob Law had giving him last night.

There was no hurry. They had all eternity.

"What did the letter say?" he asked unable to contain himself as his legs twined with those of Law under the table.

Law smiled entertained in front of him and his eyes twinkled wickedly making Kidd's heart flutter in his chest. He loved that smile.

"There were only two words" said Law smiling "Save me"

.

.

.

Law closed his eyes as the warm summer wind hit his face with a pleasant smell flooded with the scent of flowers. Below him Kidd turned back in the air dodging a fluffy cloud and making another one of those tight turns that took him days to practice to perfection.

Kidd had adapted quite well to their new situation, the lack of strength and power often left him breathless after a long workout, but it definitely was costing him more time to adapt to the new metal arm that he had now. Shanks had given it to Kidd several months ago and the huge metal piece had been manufactured by the best dwarf blacksmith in the world, Franky, from the high moors of Russia. The amazing metallic arm even transformed so that Kidd could use it in his two forms without thinking.

Law knew Kidd appreciated the gift, during their first months together after the victory, Law had seen Kidd frustrated a thousand times by the lack of a second arm, but Law did not know if that piece of metal solved the problem. Kidd seemed to have accepted it and still kept practicing every day with him to use it without problems, but Law couldn't say the same.

When Law saw that arm, he could only remember the main reason of why Kidd had lost the original.

Law knew he would never forgive himself for what he had done to Kidd. He knew that no matter how much Kidd insisted that it was not his fault, that Law had not been rational when he had done it, Law knew that that wound would haunt him forever. Like Kidd will be haunted for having abandoned him that day on the market despite Law's warnings.

The world went on, everything seemed to go in peace, everything returned to its original course, but neither of them would ever be the same. Nightmares were present at night for both of them, their subconscious betraying them with a thousand possibilities of what could have happened, what could have been lost.

But after weeks of living with that reality, Law had ended accepting it as Kidd. This was the normal consequence of what had happened, the trauma after the terror, both knew that someday the nightmares and regrets would disappear slowly, but until then, the only thing that mattered was that when they awakened, the other one would be next to them in bed trying to calm them down.

They both may had been injured after those battles, they may still have many problems waiting for them, but Law knew that those problems would disappear if they were together. Separated they would die, but together they were invincible.

When Kidd rose between clouds, tired to train with them, and hovered over the huge white sky in a slow and pleasant flight, Law closed his eyes smiling. In front of him the sun began to rise as a yellow crown, illuminating the field of clouds beneath him with a thousand of golden and scarlet hues and pleasantly warming his skin.

Law stroked Kidd's back under him and send him that perfect feeling of happiness through the precious bond they shared. Kidd instantly shuddered beneath him and began to purr as he always did when Law showed him the slightest gesture of affection.

Law laughed low, considering all that had changed his life, everything he had lost and gained since, three years ago, he had run from a dark black mountain to kill a dragon. Law laughed as the feeling of pure happiness and freedom invaded him, while Kidd returned the same feeling thousandfold by the bond they shared.

Law laughed again and seemed able to explode from the love that filled his chest.

It had been definitely worth it, no matter what had happened, it would always be worth everything.

* * *

_Ignis Draco means "Fire Dragon" in Latin, and it was one of the creatures that Law had to study in the Order when he began his training as an exorcist._

_One day, Corazon gave Law one of the thousands of books that the Order had about magical creatures for the child to study, and Law was instantly fascinated by the dragon drawing accompanying the text. Without anyone seeing him, Law then tore the few pages that talked about the creature and hid them in the sheath of his sword, even though he could earn a penalty for that. Corazon, of course, discovered that Law had broken the book, but still he said nothing to save Law from the punishment, and so he began breaking the code of the Order with its fatal consequences._

_The drawing that remains still forgotten within the sheath of Law's sword, is a picture of an annoyed Kidd flying over a caravan travelling to Hungary, carrying two golden bracelets._


End file.
